Rules Are Meant To Be Broken
by Warrior of Ice
Summary: In the age of the Silver Millennium, a charming general and a princess with a sad smile meet and find their true selves. And together, regardless of the fact that their romance is doomed from the start, they find out it was all worth it-no matter what.
1.

Preface: (Ami's POV)  
  
I was only twenty-five years old when I met Zoi for the first time ever, but back in the Silver Millennium, it was considered an old age for an unmarried woman, especially a princess. Everyone was urging me to find a suitable prince and get married, even my old friend, Greg, who was my Prime Minister and a trusted friend. I never thought that I'd fall in love with Zoicite, and from the start, we knew such a romance would be doomed. And yet, neither of us could help it, because we were the others halves of each other's souls; destiny commanded it so. Cruel fate, which gave me a love that I had never experienced before, a burning passion that I had never known could exist...and then took it and our lives away in a flash. But even now, looking back on the events that have passed, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I'd rather we had those few precious moments together than none at all. And me, law-abiding, cowering little senshi that never broke any rules...realized that  
sometimes...  
  
Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 1  
  
"Is there anything we can do?" she asked softly, desperately, even though she knew it was already too late.  
  
The Prime Minister shook his head gravely, earnest brown eyes reflecting sorrow and an aching worry for his princess. "No. Nothing. It's too late, Ami. You've given him enough, staying with him the whole night as if you were the daughter he never had. He was growing old, and the arthritis in his bones was paining him. It's better that he left this way, in his sleep, painlessly."  
  
Wiping away the tears that had fallen and left darker blue droplets on her silken gown, she stood up tiredly, having spent the entire night with her ailing tutor. Feeling as if another person inhabited her body, her weary spirit, the princess ordered, "Then station the guards to keep watch outside and make sure the body is undisturbed. Tell them to prepare the body for burning tomorrow, at sunrise."  
  
Before Greg could say anything, she pushed past him with abruptness that he knew could never have been attributed to rudeness. She was hurting again, and, like last time, there was nothing he could do. Nodding sharply to the various guards in the room, he said, "You heard the orders of your princess. Four guards outside the door, the rest of you back to your normal duties." As they moved to obey silently, dutifully, he sighed and left himself, after covering the old man with the thick comforter.  
  
Once inside his large but plain suite of rooms, Greg walked over the balcony cat-like, his silence imperfect but still good enough to fool most people. Sighing, he looked over the beautiful city of water-washed, riveting sapphire-hued stone. A beautiful marine color that matched the blue of Princess of Mercury's eyes...he cursed and slammed his fist down upon the polished stone. I am an idiot, he thought to himself, a complete and hopeless idiot. It's past time to move on. Yet, Ami's father had died five years ago, and she had been ruling princess ever since. The only reason she still did not hold the well-deserved title of queen was because she was unmarried. It was perfectly fine to Greg, however. He would be perfectly happy if she never married. But then the unselfish part of him reminded that even though she would never love him, could never love him, he still wanted her to be happy, even if he wasn't.  
  
A trickling of warm alerted him that his hand was bleeding, and the brown-haired man frowned, puzzled. The edges of the stone were planed smooth, and no part of it was rough or jagged. And yet, the open scrape on his hand was bleeding, pouring blood with his heart. Shaking himself from his maudlin thoughts, Greg went to rinse off the side of his hand and apply a quick bandage.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, Ami was back in her rooms, and she sank soundlessly into a chair, closing her eyes. She tried to banish the image that appeared before her, so like another she had seen. Her old tutor, before she had gone to the Moon for senshi training, had received her with open arms when she had returned to her home. He had taught her everything he knew about the Solar System and life itself, lessons that were invaluable. He was a well-acclaimed scholar, having visited all the planets-including Earth. In fact, when her father, the King of Mercury, had died, he had introduced her to Prince Endymion, whom he had met on one of his numerous journeys to Earth. She smiled slightly as she remembered, fondly, the grizzled old man. The light in his eyes was gone now, though, his eyes closed forever to the world he had delighted in discovering. Just like her father. Oh, Ami had loved her father dearly, even though they were two of the same, cut from the same cloth-they didn't show  
emotion well. But she was perceptive enough to read the fondness and pride in his eyes, even before she had returned from the Moon.  
  
Calmly, coolly, efficiently, she closed the previously-open glass windows of her room. They closed one by one, methodically, inhumanly. Picking up her soft silk slippers, Ami examined them closely and then put them under the bed, just as neatly as everything else in her room was. Neat, organized, precise, everything defined with its own rules. Finding a pair of high-heeled blue shoes, she shut the door without looking back and walked to the communications room with her head held high. She was ice, her element, her power, her nature...and nothing could ever touch her inner self. Or so she thought.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
On the nearby planet of Venus, Princess Mina yawned widely and rather inelegantly, pulling a golden silk bed robe from her chair. She had only gotten in a few precious hours of sleep when the messenger had awoken her, saying an urgent message had come in from the Princess of Mercury herself. Massaging the sleep out of her cornflower blue eyes, she walked down the hall in a stately fashion, but her thoughts began to become more unsettling as she became more and more awake. Ami often communicated with her fellow senshi, but she was careful to calculate reasonable hours. Plus, she never said anything was urgent unless the matter was really important. Flinging back her long, sun-kissed hair distractedly, Mina pushed open the door to the communications room and focused immediately upon the sharp screen. "Ami?"  
  
As the connection wavered, she heard her friend's crystalline voice muffled slightly as the other replied, "We're getting some space particles moving in the way of our connection, that's all. Mina...Leon died this morning."  
  
Feeling a crushing sadness at the core of her being, the Venusian princess immediately knew what had jolted her awake only a few hours before. But being bone-tired, she had sunk back to sleep almost right away, after assuring herself that nothing had happened to any of the senshi. "Oh, Ames...I'm sorry. I knew how important he was to you, and he was a good man. A loved one, too," she added as an afterthought.  
  
"Thank you," Ami replied gratefully. Her friend's powers connected to love assured her that Leon had left quietly, knowing that he was cared for affectionately. "His body will be cremated in a few hours...at sunrise. I should contact Lita and Serenity now."  
  
"All right then. Oh, before you leave, Ami..." She smiled gently, feeling the pain in her friend's heart, and let the words flow softly, "Remember that we're all here for you."  
  
The blue-haired princess felt her mouth curve in an answering smile, but she let it disappear quickly as soon as she had shut off the connection to Venus. Ami remembered how she had first told Rei, who had already known what was coming. The sadness and understanding in the luminous purple eyes had seen what was in her heart, for the fiery spirit of the senshi of Mars had taken many such beatings before. Thinking about Mina's words as she readied herself to tell her Jovian friend, she sighed softly and covered her face with pale, cool, icy hands. Even though Ami treasured her friends more than anything else in the world, she missed them after they had all left the Moon. Busy with their new duties as princesses, they still tried to keep in touch, and had succeeded admirably. But a part of her knew that, while a large portion of her heart belonged to her four friends, there was another sizable hole that they could never fill.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
While the Four Generals were legendary on Earth, they were almost nothing to the rest of the Solar System in comparison to the senshi. However, the four young men meant almost everything in the world to their prince, who was currently contemplating which to send on an extremely important trip to Mercury.  
  
The problem was, relations had been strained recently between their planets, as the Mercurians were tight-fisted and slightly secretive with their knowledge, while the Eartherns scorned them for this and distrusted their closed-mouthed silences. Endymion leaned back in his chair, nervously running a hand through his hair.  
  
Kunzite, Commanding General, was never a bad consort to send. But then again, he was rather cold and stolid-but that made him a level-headed diplomat who could always keep his priorities in order. Too bad he was on Pluto at this moment and would never reach Mercury in time.  
  
Turning to his next general, the ebony-haired prince wrinkled his brow thoughtfully. Nephrite had met the old scholar a few times also, as had all the other generals, but he had not known him as well as, say, Endymion or his last general. Shrugging, the prince wondered whether his stargazer would be a good choice. He was as politically-skilled as Kunzite and had a smoother tongue than the silver-haired gen. Prince of Earth he might be, but he couldn't see the future like Nephrite. Contemplating his second-in-command, he frowned meditatively. Would Ami, sensitive to the slightest things even though one would never know it from her serene and icy mask of politeness, feel resentful that Nephrite had already foreseen the man's death and manner? Probably not, but one should never chance it.  
  
Ah, Jadeite, blond-haired, azure blue-eyed, honey-tongued, and sly as the devil...he was third-in-command but only because he was slightly younger than Nephrite. In truth, the blonde and the brunette were matched in power. Endymion could try and convince Jadeite about the gravity of the situation, and while he knew Jadeite understood, sometimes the general couldn't resist flirting with beautiful women. And the Princess of Mercury was indeed considered a beautiful women...and the prince just couldn't risk having one of his generals being frozen into a block of ice forever because of one of his missteps with the wrong woman. That is, if the rumors were true. And it never did to tempt fate.  
  
Shaking his head regretfully, Endymion finally turned his mind to the fourth general. Quiet, cunning, and agile Zoicite was a perfect example for brains over brawn, and although every one of the generals was quite good in the intelligence department ("quite good" was actually quite an understatement), none of them were as good as the strategic, green-eyed one. He had also known old Leon a bit more than the others and respected his wisdom, the gen's own stores of knowledge growing under his brief instruction. Here was the perfect solution-why had it taken him so long to come to it? Endymion shook his head at his slowness and snagged a passing page outside the door and asked him to fetch General Zoicite. The young boy, awed by his royal prince's command and by the fame of the one he was to search for, bowed deeply and sped off in the general direction of the library, where he was sure the gen would be.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The Prince of the West browsed distractedly among the many shelves, scowling as the desired book eluded him. He knew the contents of all the libraries (there were at least five) of Endymion's palace (not to mention all the other gens's) and had read most of them, but he had a craving to reread a fantastical story that he knew he really should not be spending the time on but just had to read.  
  
It was one of those books that can never be put down, and one that can be read over and over without the reader ever becoming bored of the story. Zoicite always felt excitement at the plot twists and villains lurking around the corners, admiration for the heroic feats of the main character, awe for the female lead who used all her wits, brains, and trickery to keep her kingdom safe...he also experienced pangs of distress when the brave man died, backstabbed, then great gladness when his lady sacrificed almost all of her life-force to keep him alive...and he always hoped, each time, that the ending wouldn't be so upsetting. But each time, Zoicite almost cried with sorrow for the lovers at the end of the novel. They died far apart, longing for the warmth of each other's arms, but not seeking it as their lifeblood seeped slowly from their wounds.  
  
The green-eyed one shook his head at his own folly and smiled triumphantly as his lithe fingers finally located the sought-for item.  
  
Suddenly, a hesitant, shaking voice at his elbow asked hesitantly, "General Zoicite?"  
  
Turning, Zoicite smiled at the youth and nodded. "Yes?"  
  
Executing a neat bow, barely breathing in the gen's presence, the boy murmured, "My lord the Prince Endymion wishes you to attend him in his study."  
  
"Thank you."As forest green bored into chocolate brown, the latter pair of eyes shining eagerly, the older man shook his head regretfully as he tried to pull himself out of surfacing, painful memories. He left the library quickly, attempting to shut away recollections pushed away for too many years. Walking by himself through the cold, empty marble halls that echoed dismally with his footsteps, Zoicite rebound his unruly hair and sighed in frustration as tangled curls escaped the strip of worn green cloth rebelliously. Knocking on the mahogany wood door to Endymion's study, he entered almost immediately, knowing that his prince cared little for ceremonious little traditions, which often included bowing and scraping (which were odious to Endymion). Without batting an eyelash, Zoicite nodded to Kunzite, who was already seated, and executed a short bow to Endymion.  
  
"Zoi...stop that." As the younger man grinned teasingly, he sat casually, as Endymion flicked a glance at his High General. "Have you heard the news from Mercury yet?"  
  
*surprised* "No, has something happened?"  
  
"Leon died last night...or this morning," the silver-haired man said abruptly, too tired from his previous nights' traversing to break the news gently. He had also respected the old man, but he had spent the last weeks journeying throughout the kingdom to find the source and roots of troubling news. "We need to keep Endymion safe here on Earth, and because Sir Leon isn't as exalted as the King of Mercury was, there is no need for him to go."  
  
"So you want me to go? Not Neph or Jade?" he asked curiously, raising an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
Shrugging, Kunzite looked at his prince, who answered, "Well, they didn't know him as well as you did, and maybe you'll be able to comfort the princess better."  
  
"All right, then, when do I leave?"  
  
The Prince of the Earth thanked the gods that at least two of his generals could obey with speed and without unnecessary questions. "This evening, midnight at the very latest."  
  
Checking his watch with an elegant flourish, Zoicite inquired, "And how long of a stay will it be?"  
  
"Indefinite." At his flat tone, the two other men in the room turned to stare at their liege. The ebony-haired man snapped in a rather annoyed manner, almost as weary as Kunzite with matters of the state that they had yet to discuss, "The Princess of Mercury is a very important person, but besides that...I've met Ami more than you two, and once you get to know her, she's not that-"  
  
"Cold?" Kunzite blushed darkly as the other two turned to stare at him. "My apologies, Endymion, for speaking so plainly, but she gives even me the chills sometimes. It's as if she has no feeling left..."  
  
Glaring at them, he ordered, "Zoicite, you will stay as long as need be. You don't come home unless you see fit or I order you to, but make sure you report daily. All these rumors about war, the falling of the Silver Alliance...and you know about the numerous disagreements between our Terran people and the Mercurians."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
As the flames, dancing and crackling, roared high around Leon's body, Ami stood stolidly, Greg by her side. She barely noticed his presence, and even as tears trickled down her cheeks unceasingly, she barely seemed to notice. The princess stood with her head proud and high, eyes fixed upon the fire and nothing else. After a few customary words, the people left. Ami had no idea what she said, but she hoped it was complimentary. If only she could have drawn up the courage to tell the public what he had really meant to her. Leon had not only been a tutor; he was a friend, surrogate father, confidante...the list went on and on. So many parts of her had died already, and among those were her parents, several childhood friends, and now Leon.  
  
"Ami...please..." He was hesitant, almost scared.  
  
She turned to face him almost blindly, wiping the moisture from her face. Oh, she knew very well how he felt towards her, but Ami knew it was kinder this way. Even if she had loved him, which she didn't, the match couldn't even be considered. He was her Prime Minister and would execute her orders, and she would take his advice as she saw fit. That was all. "Yes?"  
  
"General Zoicite arrives this morning from Earth, by the order of Prince Endymion. You must greet him and make him welcome. He carries the condolences from his planet."  
  
"Oh." Ami was quite uninterested, her tone bland and formal. "Anything else?"  
  
Looking down, he whispered unwillingly, "None of the Inner or Outer senshi are currently able to leave their homes. You've heard all the rumors about how unstable the Silver Alliance is. There are couriers from the Moon, along with the other planets, but none are as important as this general. I or some other official can greet them and pass any important messages unto you. But you must see General Zoicite. It is imperative. And...those are the rules of diplomacy and etiquette."  
  
"Very well then. When does his airship land?"  
  
"In a hour."  
  
"I'll be at the ship's docking, then."  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	2. 

Reflection: (Zoi's POV)  
  
Even though it was rather rude, among us generals, we had always judged the Princess of Mercury to be...well...a cold fish. Or perhaps an ice statue, at best. It was true that we didn't know her very well, and she wasn't exactly bubbly like the Princess Serenity or even passably warm, as Lita of Jupiter was. Certainly the Venusian and Martian Princesses were very cordial, but... Ami had been known to us just as a political figure who was only as polite as she had to be and extremely impersonal. How wrong we were to think that she had no feeling, when, in truth, she had the most of any person I had ever known.  
  
Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 2  
  
Zoicite sighed, wishing that his trip was not ending. He loved sailing through space, and this particular airship was his beauty, the Crystal Dream. His fellow generals had been apt to snicker for a while until Kunzite had christened his ship the Quicksilver, Nephrite named his own Starshine, and Jadeite finally decided upon the perfect name for his ship-  
  
The crew had seen the Moon and Venus many times and did not make a big deal out of viewing the celestial bodies, but the general stayed glued to the window of his cabin for almost the entire trip, marveling at their magnificence. Now, however, he had to dress "appropriately." While most of his general uniforms were either gray or white, he had to wear his only black one to show proper respect for Leon. It looked basically the same as the others, with the thin green trim along the shoulders, slanting downwards. Green embroidery also decorated the wrists and collar. As he pulled it on, Zoicite turned pale as he heard an unsettling rip. Looking at his sleeve, he sighed when he found that the shirt seemed to have shrunk. And because he did not possess another tunic...  
  
*half an hour later*  
  
Washing his hands of the blood leaking out of holes made by the evil needle, Zoicite glared at his reflection in the mirror and consoled himself with the thought that he had remembered to use black thread-unlike Nephrite. The last time the astronomer had tried to mend one of his gray shirts, he had used yellow thread and hadn't even noticed until the others had started laughing at him. What made it worse was that his needlework was even less passable than Zoicite's, and together, the gens and Endymion had been unable to untangle the canary-yellow mess of threads enveloping the button. Jadeite and Endymion had never let the brown-haired man live it down... The blonde smiled in remembrance and looked at his sleeve smugly.  
  
His satisfied grin disappeared as a crewman pounded on the door hurriedly. "My lord! We've landed, and the princess herself is awaiting you!!!"  
  
"Damn!"  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Ami shifted impatiently, smoothing her elegant black gown. This particular dress was her least favorite. The stifling collar was high and almost reached her chin, and the cut was not fashionable, she hated the color, and the sleeves fanned out like balloons until they narrowed very sharply at the wrist, where the material clung tightly. It was rather unfortunate that this dress was her only suitable one for mourning.  
  
Would the Terran embassy never appear from their ship? They had reached the port at least two hours ago, and plenty of crewmen were running around inside, but no people had appeared on the little ramp that had been extended the minute they had docked. All of the most important inhabitants of the Mercurian Palace were waiting eagerly for a glimpse of the Earthlings, even those that had already seen them before.  
  
As Ami watched the ship, her mood brightened when at last a booted foot appeared from the door. And then the other leg appeared, along with the entire person-naturally. Her luminous blue eyes appraised the general sharply. Of course, she had known who he was the moment he had appeared.  
  
A lean but muscular form was accented by the gen's clothing, while the bright green embroidery was flashy but not overdone. He was of medium height among men, perhaps a head or so taller than her. Zoicite's hair, normally irascible and unmanageable, was (for once) tied back neatly. The sharp angles of his face were softened by wavy bangs and finely-carved mouth that curved upwards in a smile.  
  
Deep, sapphire blue met brilliant green for one breathtaking instant, and Ami wrenched her glance away, fighting to catch her breath. There was power in his gaze, the type of power she and the other princesses possessed, but there was also something else that she couldn't define. Compassion was there, certainly, but not pity. Curiosity? Before she had time to muse further, Greg coughed at her side, and she realized that the Terran Embassy (all of which had assembled while she had been staring at the general) was waiting for her welcome. Pasting a smile on her face and shoving aside her worries, she greeted, "Welcome to Mercury. We hope you have had a safe journey and will enjoy your stay on our planet. Please do not hesitate to ask for anything you may need, for we wish to extend every possible courtesy. As you may be tired from your trip, we propose that any meetings will take place tomorrow. We only ask that to honor Sir Leon, who passed away this morning, that the  
appropriate color of black is worn."  
  
Stepping forward to speak for his people, Zoicite bowed and replied, "Thank you, your highness. You are very kind, on our behalf, to take account of our travel. We hope, my lady, that you will accept the condolences of Prince Endymion of Earth, our liege."  
  
Wishing this could be done and over with, she nodded in return, making sure the corners of her mouth were still turned upwards. "We gladly accept these condolences of his highness Prince Endymion."  
  
....  
  
After what felt like eons to Ami, the entire group of Terrans had been escorted to their rooms, and she could be left in peace. In her solitary room once more, she stood tall and straight, looking out the open window. The walls of her rooms were pure white stone, comfortable and homey. She looked across the vastness of the palace grounds. Before her, in the distance, were the large and famed pools where water lilies and lotuses resided. They were the pride of the gardeners, with their beautiful flowers of all hues. The gigantic lily pads and multicolored, one-of-a-kind blossoms were spawned by these plants. The cup-like blossoms were pink, red, white, yellow, and even blue (which had taken many years of experimenting with hybrids of many different species). Also in the center of the large ponds resided a beautiful ice sculpture that never melted, tribute to the power that the Mercury senshi held. The statue was actually the god of Mercury, with his winged sandals, cap, and a  
mischievous grin on his face, hovering over some crossroads. He was rumored to be a joker, patron of thieves, and very tricky. Normally, the view from her windows gave her troubled mind peace, but Ami just couldn't relax this time.  
  
Pacing around her room once more, she stared at the blank walls, the bookshelves crammed with books, neat desks, bureaus, nightstand, bed...everything was in place. And yet...she felt unsettled. Closing her eyes, the princess sat down and massaged her temples gently. Almost immediately, a memory came to her mind's eye, an afterthought of the greenery she had just seen. A pair of intense green eyes regarded her own inquisitively, with a spark of humor and intelligence lurking in their emerald depths. Gasping, Ami opened her eyes and shoved the image out of her mind. This would not do at all. She had met plenty of men, especially in the past five years, but none of them had evoked this reaction in her, no matter how handsome or intelligent or talented they were.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Relaxing at last in his own quarters, General Zoicite leaned back lazily and smiled. His reflexes, however, were still jumping and very active-and not completely due to Kunzite's brutal training to keep them all on their toes. The door was well-maintained and opened silently, but his ears still picked up soft, creeping footsteps and an almost mute creak of the door. "Very good, Antin. You're improving."  
  
The man Antin, Zoicite's good friend and personal steward, sighed. "You're too good, my lord. I shall give up trying to surprise you."  
  
Raising his eyebrows, he asked mildly, "Why so formal?"  
  
Looking nervous, Antin whispered, "The men say, and I agree, that there may be, well, someone listening in on what we say."  
  
"Nonsense," he laughed, "it would be a breach of hospitality. The princess did not seem the type to me. Besides, surely I would have tested the rooms with my magic and found nothing, right?"  
  
Reassured for the moment. Antin nodded. "That isn't the only thing the men are talking about, Zoi."  
  
Turning around, the gen motioned him towards a seat. It was always useful to have Antin around, for his listening skills had been sharp in the beginning. Honed by Zoicite, he was a very useful courier of very useful information. "Tell me."  
  
"The entire crew's unnerved by the princess, and I have to say, so am I. She was so formal, and she almost never moved. It was as if she were carved of ice, so chilly and impersonal. And that smile on her face...you could hardly call it a smile."  
  
"It was a perfect mask for such an occasion," he agreed readily. "But surely there is nothing wrong. She followed all the rules of protocol. I'm impressed. Five years of ruling have certainly produced an able woman."  
  
The other man crossed and uncrossed his legs uneasily. "No one follows the rules that well, my lord. There were no flaws! And she was so cold. Her expression never wavered, and it was as if she were robotic! You listen to me, Zoi. These princesses of the planets have magic, and I'm willing to bet on my life that she's a powerful one."  
  
"A powerful what?"  
  
"Sorceress, that's what!"  
  
Humoring Antin, the general remarked casually, "So, because I also have this magic, am I then a sorcerer?"  
  
Casting his eyes down, the steward shook his head. "No, my lord. But...she still makes us nervous."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind, then. Well, I'm off."  
  
Looking surprised, Antin inquired, "Wherever to?"  
  
"To meet with the Princess of Mercury, of course."  
  
"But-"  
  
"You'll hold down the fort for me while I'm gone, won't you?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Good man." Smiling cheerily, Zoicite added, "I'll be back before you know it."  
  
As he disappeared out the door, the poor man slumped in his seat and glowered at his retreating figure. "Generals aren't the same as they used to be."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Commander Greg Urawa wandered aimlessly around the Mercurian Palace, muttering preoccupied greetings to those that waved to him along his way. The problem was, he wasn't exactly sure where he was going. The castle was built in a series of intriguing spirals, all curves without any straight edges. Unfortunately, for anyone who didn't know the layout well, they could become hopelessly lost in abandoned parts of the place until someone rescued them. But the architecture was part of the charm of the palace, and Ami had refused to change any part of the basic foundation, although she had began renovating the less-used parts of her home. Greg thought about his princess-often. In fact, he pondered the subject of her every free moment he had.  
  
Ever since she had returned from the Moon, the commander had felt that the people of Mercury had lost their little princess. He remembered the carefree, playful child that he had played with as a boy. Their parents had been close, and he was only a few years older than her. Ami had run circles around everyone as a girl, charming them at the same time. She had gotten punished for quite a few pranks, but they were always completely harmless (except one that Greg remembered in great detail, having been privy to the scolding she had received from her parents). Because they had been good friends, even best friends, during their childhood, Ami had return him often from the Moon, telling him about her life and the other princesses. But as the years passed, her letters grew more and more infrequent (with the excuse of being busy with training as a senshi). He himself had been occupied in obtaining the credentials needed for him to hold the position of Commander General of the  
Mercurian navy and army. He often wondered how he could hold the positions of Commander General and Prime Minister but shrugged it off and told himself that when the time came, he'd deal with it. Gradually, the princess and the commander had become almost complete strangers. Greg scowled darkly as he remembered her homecoming, at the age of twenty, to the death of her father. He had been away the previous year when the Queen had passed away, so that had been the first time he had seen her in ten long years.  
  
*flashback*  
  
She stepped off the ramp of the airship gracefully, holding her head high but meeting no one's eyes. There were no tears to be seen, and only the rest of the Inner senshi had known how much she had cried before. Inclining her head graciously as Greg bowed to her, Ami curtsied and murmured, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Commander."  
  
"It's been a very long time, princess."  
  
"I trust all is well?"  
  
"Yes, my lady." As she met his eyes for the first time in their short, impersonal conversation, Greg was jolted by the agelessness in her eyes. They were as old as a goddess's, but at the same time, they were as young as the princess he remembered frolicking around the palace with. Her deep cerulean eyes spoke of deep pain and endless suffering. But once again, everything the brown-haired man was refuted and contradicted. They told of undying loyalty, and friendship that would last until death-and perhaps beyond. Yet, what shook him the most was the realization that she had experienced the sacred, secret emotion of love. And in those few moments he had, Greg had fallen hopelessly in love with his princess.  
  
From then on, the men of the marine corps had never understood why he had refused to become interested in any women. He hadn't gone with them on any midnight excursions, didn't even flirt or pay civil compliments to them unless he was forced to. His friends had never connected his strange manner with the return of their princess, something that Greg was very grateful for. It would have been extremely embarrassing if they had found out he had fallen for one of the only women he would never be able to have. She was also the only women that would never look to him for love; rather, she would seek wise counsel, perhaps even friendship, but never more.  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	3. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 3  
  
Rather than meander around the large palace, lost, Zoicite snagged a passing servant, who directed him to a nearby library while he carried the message to the princess. Looking around at the vast room, he smiled in delight. Here, surely, were tomes and texts he had never read before. Just looking at such richness, the gen's fingers itched to set his fingers upon the knowledge shelved teasingly before him. Walking quietly over to one of the many wooden tables, both square and circular, the general blinked as he realized that the thick book lying there, with a blue ribbon hanging out as a bookmark around the middle of the story, was the one that he had searched for just as Endymion had summoned him to the meeting with Kunzite. In fact, the Earthen Palace's only copy was currently in his rooms.  
  
Just as before, a crystalline voice interrupted his thoughts as Zoicite reached out to touch the book. "General Zoicite."  
  
He turned around abruptly and bowed. "Your highness."  
  
As her eyes sought the volume he was holding, Ami blushed darkly. She hadn't realized that she had left the book on the table in the library. "I believe you wished a private word?"  
  
"Yes, I did. Do. Er..." Flustered, the blond-haired man attempted to recapture his composure. "It was very kind of you to come so quickly. I...uh...appreciate it."  
  
Belatedly, the Mercurian remembered that she had forgotten to use the royal "we" to address him. Looking towards the book he still held in his hand, she said, quite out of the blue, "I see you've found Indigo." At Zoicite's puzzled look, she flushed again and explained, "I'm sorry. My father first introduced the book to me. He called it Indigo, but I never understood until I came across a book of poems one day. There was a line of a poem, whose title I've forgotten, but it read, `In hues of dark and moody indigo, the chapter closed, the end had come. And yet hope lived on eternally.'" When he said nothing, only gazed in the distance moodily, she coughed softly. "Would you like to borrow the book?"  
  
Finally waking up, he jumped and turned red also. "Uh, no, thank you. I actually brought my own copy with me. Besides, it looks as if someone's in the middle of it."  
  
"Me, actually." With a casual wave of her hand, the book drifted out the open door. He guessed it was on its way to her rooms, wherever they were. "But we had matters to discuss, didn't we? Please, my study is right across the hall."  
  
As he held the heavy library door open for her courteously, Zoicite looked his full appreciation of a more complimentary gray dress that she had changed into. He had never been partial to the color black himself, and gray was also a very appropriate mourning color. He settled himself into the chair she indicated, after she had seated herself-calmly, coolly, collectedly.  
  
Waiting for him to begin, the princess reminded herself to be careful not to meet his eyes again. They were dangerous, those emeralds that pierced her own eyes brightly. "Ahem. Did you know Sir Leon well, my lord general?"  
  
"Not as well as I would have liked to, my lady. Although he frequently traveled to Earth, I always felt that his visits were too short. He had such endless knowledge, such wisdom that he passed on to me willingly."  
  
Her eyes shone to hear such high praise of her friend. "Indeed, being the notable scholar that he was. But Leon was more interested in things besides what can be learned from books, like lessons of the real world."  
  
After quite a few hours passed (the entire afternoon), Zoicite was sitting forward at the edge of his seat, listening avidly. Ami had even laughed once or twice, after her first genuine smile. And they had both let the tears fall at last, giving them peace. Checking the timepiece on the wall, Ami's eyes widened as she took account of how much time had passed. "It's been three hours already? Dinner will be starting in fifteen minutes!"  
  
Mouth twisted in a wry smile, the general responded, "Ah, well. There's no time like the present."  
  
"Leon used to say that."  
  
"That he did. Quite often. I assume I'll see you at dinner then, your highness?"  
  
Usage of her title reminded them both of how unprofessionally they had been talking for the past few hours. Icy mask firmly back in place once more, Ami smiled a lukewarm smile and replied, "Yes, of course." And thus was their parting of ways.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Zoicite returned to his rooms once more after a rather lengthy dinner, frustrated and too wound up to have a good night's rest, which he needed. Dearly. Everything had been going so well, he thought to himself. The princess had even laughed, and they had shared memories of Leon, mutually shedding the tears that had been needed to shed. But during dinner, among the many court nobles, the Terran Embassy, her Prime Minister, and a few other important people, Ami had acted as perfect hostess and princess once more, revealing nothing about herself or her people. Therein lay the problem. He had forgotten how damned secretive and close-mouthed the Mercurian people were. Even Leon, at times, had found it hard to break the old habit of letting nothing slip.  
  
A wry smile turning up the corners of his mouth, the general thought, `At least I know she can laugh. And she's even more beautiful when she smiles.' He was startled out of his thoughts by a knock on the door, and Zoicite was even more surprised when it opened to reveal Greg Urawa. Although he still knew nothing about the young man besides his title and appearance, he had sensed wary and unfriendly vibes coming from him that disturbed him greatly. "General Commander. An honor, sir."  
  
Bowing in return, the brunette man nodded. "As it is for me, General Zoicite. I came to tell you that in honor of Earth and your visit, we have began preparations for a ball tomorrow night. Tonight, however, we shall rest and mourn the worthy man that has passed from this world to the next."  
  
"That's very kind of you," Zoicite answered in his turn. He had had a feeling that something like this would happen. "We appreciate the hand of friendship you have extended towards us. I am sure that all of my comrades will enjoy the party."  
  
Nodding curtly, Greg turned on his heel before saying, "I wish you a good night then, my lord general."  
  
"Good night to you as well." `What a strange fellow. I haven't even done anything worthy of being disliked or warned away yet. Imagine if Jade had gone in my place.'  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The next day, already weary from having almost no sleep (Ami figured that she had finally succumbed to the restful darkness at around two o'clock in the morning), the Princess of Mercury rose at six o'clock, as she always did. The minute her eyes opened and her mind became conscious, the past days' events came flooding back in a terribly heavy burden. Sighing, the blue-haired woman got up and looked at her reflection in the large mirror, framed in silver with ornate curves and a liquid smoothness to the texture. Reaching for the compact that rested peacefully on the small wooden table under the looking glass, Ami applied the white powder to the pale skin under her eyes, attempting to cover the dark circles, yet only managing to make them slightly less noticeable. Regarding the contents of her wardrobe tiredly, she reached for her second gray gown, which was lighter-hued than the one before it. It was also more becoming, with small creamy pearls adorned for further  
embellishment.  
  
Turning as a soft knock was heard at the door, she smiled warmly as it opened noiselessly to admit Kathrina, her personal maid. "Good morning, Kathrina."  
  
"Good morning, Miss Ami." The younger girl curtsied, balancing a breakfast tray skillfully. Her mistress had often tried to break her of the habit of addressing her as Miss (she shuddered to remember the early days when she was called "your highness," "my lady," and "Princess Ami."), but she was unsuccessful thus far. Kathrina refused to budge so much as an inch this time, and she could be truly stubborn when she wished.  
  
Examining the fresh fruits on her plate, along with a frosty glass of juice, a steaming cup of tea, and some light bread, Ami tried vainly to find her appetite. It all looked delicious, but she just did not feel hungry. "How are the preparations for tonight's ball going?"  
  
"Wonderfully!" The maid chattered in her excitement, barely noticing that the other woman was not listening. "If you have time, you should see the marvels the cooks are making. They've been baking all today and yesterday, luscious pastries stuffed with fruit, marzipan statues...not to mention the stews! All sorts of vegetables, thick slices of meat, broth, and spices are going in them."  
  
Laughing, her mood lightened slightly, the princess told her, "I think you'd get along very well with Lita. She always did like anyone who appreciated cooking as much as she did."  
  
"Is everyone allowed to wear colors besides black and gray?"  
  
Putting aside the pain in her heart, telling herself that they had mourned the appropriate time for Leon, Ami nodded. "Yes." After an awkward silence, she asked, "Have you heard from your family?"  
  
"Very recently, Miss. My brother has just written from Uranus." Most of Kathrina's immediately family resided on that planet, which was quite far from Mercury. Lowering her voice confidentially, the maid whispered, "He said, my lady, that the councillors there wish to arrange a marriage between you and Princess Haruka's younger brother."  
  
Sitting bolt upright, spine as straight as a blade, the princess demanded, "How recently was this letter?"  
  
"A week ago."  
  
Eyes blazing hotly, Ami marched out of the room swiftly, leaving a befuddled Kathrina behind in her room. Opening each and every door that her own advisors met in, she finally came upon the misfortunate group in the parlor of the Prime Minister. "Good morning, gentlemen." She had tried many times to break the tradition of having only men councillors, but so far, the stuffiest and oldest nobles were unyielding to her wishes. Slowly, just now, they had begun to bend, but it was not quick enough for her.  
  
They all jumped guiltily, as they had not been expecting her. Flurries of "Your grace!", "Princess!", "Your highness!" and "My lady!" met her ears, but she still surveyed them coldly.  
  
"I do not believe I knew of this meeting. Do forgive me for being late," Ami smiled icily. "Tell me, what is our topic of discussion today?"  
  
Shifting uncomfortably as he met her eyes, the Prime Minister and General Commander muttered softly, "Your current marital status, Am-my lady."  
  
Eyeing them suspiciously, she scowled her darkest frown, uncaring if her smooth brow was now marred. "Ah, yes. There have been...murmurings...of a purported match between myself and the younger Prince of Uranus, have there not?"  
  
An unwitting man, one of the newest, said unwisely, "My lady, if only you would consider a suitable prince to marry! You refused the Prince of the second house of Pluto, all of the Venusian and Jovian princes, and have barely acknowledged the possibility of the Neptunian ones!" He neglected to mention the planets Mars or Saturn, but they had no princes. Only princesses. Something she was very fond of them for at the moment.  
  
The air in the room crackled, becoming cold as bitter winds swept the room. Eyes of blue ice regarded the occupants of the room imperiously as the princess commanded quietly, "Whomever I marry, I shall choose. I know my duties. But if I ever hear of any more meetings like this, or if anyone else is foolish enough to suggest my considering anyone else of your choosing again, you will know what it means to cross this Mercurian Princess. May I remind you, gentlemen, that she is also a senshi?" And in a swirl of hail and snow-laden winds, she disappeared out the door in a glittering fury.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
After an uneventful brunch, Zoicite decided it was time that he saw the famed Mercurian Gardens. Surely they could not rival the Earthen roses. But still, he had heard they were rather beautiful. And it wouldn't be that hard to find the gardens, since they could be seen from his window, right? Wrong.  
  
The general's pride forbade him from asking anyone for help, but soon he was so desperately lost in the mazes of deserted corridors and echoing halls that he would gladly have begged just to get out of this insane labyrinth of a palace. It would have been easy to find his way around, would it? he asked himself gloomily. He figured he may as well have been lost in underground mines. Zoicite's usual sharp sense of direction had been confused by the many turns and lefts and rights he had taken. Suddenly, a welcome sound pierced the halls, the sounds of soft footsteps clicking on polished tiles. Recognizing the princess's distinctively dark hair, he called, "Wait! Please wait, my lady!" After a few faltering footsteps, she did stop, but she didn't turn around. Puzzled, he inquired, "Are you all right? I didn't mean to startle you-"  
  
At his kind although bewildered voice, she finally faced him. With one look into earnest green eyes, Ami did something she would never forgive herself for. It was unheard of. Unspoken of. Never before had she behaved so humiliatingly...she burst into tears and covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly. Zoicite stood in front of her, bewilderedly, staring at her pale face. About to say something, they both flinched when he heard a gaggle of women coming towards them, talking and laughing. Lifting her face up, Ami whispered, "I must get out of here, before anyone sees me."  
  
"Which way is quickest?"  
  
"Through that hall," she pointed. "There's a secret door concealed behind a tapestry that will lead underground..." Ami's voice trailed off as they ran in that direction. She finished with, "Eventually, through an underground passageway, we'll end up in the gardens, the one with the fountain."  
  
"The one with the statue of Hermes?"  
  
Nodding because she was beginning to get out of breath, Ami cursed him silently for two things (although he didn't deserve it). The first one was that he had seen her cry. The second one was, well...he was running just as fast as she was, perhaps even faster, and he wasn't even out of breath. While she herself may not have been breathless, she was definitely starting to feel a little winded. "Over there, the tapestry with the picture of the fountain."  
  
Wryly, the gen drawled, "Well, it's only fitting. At least you'll remember where you're going. How do you open it?"  
  
For answer, she reached over and pressed the center of one of the rods holding the tapestry up. A great cavity opened up in the wall, while the tapestry was pulled up-momentarily. As Zoicite looked into the big, dark hole uneasily, Ami grabbed a nearby candle and some matches, lighting the waxy stick. "Hurry up!" she hissed. "Before someone comes and sees us...not many people know about the secret passageways of the palace."  
  
"I'll bet," he commented.  
  
Once they were both inside, the princess reached over to a lever he hadn't noticed before. Instantly, the tapestry came down once more, and the wall came into place behind it. "The tunnel isn't long, maybe a mile or two, because we're in the heart of the palace."  
  
Trying to take the candle from her, the general ordered, "Let me lead."  
  
Looking at him as if he were crazy, she said, "I know the tunnel better than you do."  
  
"But your hands are shaking, you're exhausted, and there's very little chance that I'll get us lost just by leading. There aren't twenty million forks or paths crossing, are there?"  
  
Rather sullenly, for which she was immediately ashamed for, Ami handed over the candle and suffered the indignity of letting him take the lead. "No," she told him contritely, "there are other corridors like these, but very few of them come into contact with each other."  
  
Casting a backwards look at her, careful not to hold the candle too high, Zoicite asked, "May I ask why you were so troubled before, my lady?"  
  
"It's Ami."  
  
"Pardon me?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow as he scanned the sloping ceiling of the narrow way.  
  
Flushing, she explained, "I mean, Ami's my given name. You can just call me Ami. It saves the trouble of always addressing me as `my lady' and `your highness.'" Nearly walking into the wall where they were supposed to turn, the general sweatdropped and carefully made his way around the curve. "Thank you, my-Ami. It's a lovely name, and it suits you. Please call me Zoicite, then. Or Zoi, that's what my fellow generals call me."  
  
"Thank you...I suppose you deserve to be told," Ami said slowly. "This morning, my maid Kathrina told me that behind my back, Greg-oh, do you know who he is? The Prime Minister?"  
  
"Oh yes. A brown-haired, brown-eyed man around my height?"  
  
"Yes. Kathrina told me that in secrecy, my council of advisors were planning a marriage, or at least a betrothal, between the Prince of Uranus and myself."  
  
Almost hitting his head on a stalactite protruding from the ceiling, the blonde blinked. "Alex? Princess Haruka's brother?"  
  
Surprised, she replied, "Yes, Prince Alexander. Is something wrong?"  
  
"Uh...no. At least, I hope not. The thing is, Alex is already engaged to one of Endymion's cousins. They just haven't announced it yet."  
  
Smiling brightly, Ami said jubilantly, "Well, I'm glad to hear it. They have my most sincere congratulations and well wishes. Alexander is really a very nice young man, and I adore Haruka, but I want to marry whom I choose."  
  
Curiously, he asked her, "What happened to your council?"  
  
"Oh, I surprised them this morning and threatened to do very bad things to them if anyone ever suggested any more political marriages or even attempted to discuss the matter among themselves. It comes in handy to have powers that are ice and water-based. I can even whirl up some very cool winds."  
  
Making a mental note never, ever to anger the princess, the gen murmured, "I take it that all the Inner Princesses have powers like these?"  
  
Biting her lip, Ami realized that she had nearly revealed that she and her friends were the legendary sailor senshi. No one, besides a few select people, was supposed to know about their true identities. "Yes."  
  
Conversationally, he inquired, "Have you ever met the sailor senshi?"  
  
Startled, the only thing the dark-haired woman was grateful for at the moment was the fact that he had his back turned and could not see her surprise or chagrin. "Yes, I have."  
  
"What are they like? I'd really like to meet them one day or at least one of them."  
  
"Perhaps you'll get your wish," she said demurely. "They're wonderful women, all strong and independent. Of course, they can also be very prideful at times, and that causes problems....But what I admire most about them, though, is that no one urges them to get married." `Their other forms are another matter. But it's true that no one has ever talked about marriage to me when I'm in senshi form.'  
  
This last statement startled a laugh out of Zoicite, who grinned as he saw that the tunnel had finally come to an end. "Is there a doorway here?"  
  
"Just push up where you see that circle of blue. There are always doorways," she smiled, "especially in places where you may least expect them."  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	4. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 4  
  
Kathrina chattered excitedly as she helped Ami prepare for the ball, talking about the people that were attending and how beautiful Ami looked in her dress. The ball gown, the princess thought to herself sourly, was indeed stunning. And she hated it for being so. Unfortunately, Ami had no black or gray gowns, so she was forced to choose among her blue and white ones. White, she thought privately to herself, was much too cheerful. And yet, white was a pure color, and Leon certainly represented a pure spirit if no one else did. She had then considered, after much debate, a navy blue gown. It was very elegant, very formal, very somber...and a very dark blue indeed. But then again, the color represented her mood, so she wore it. Admiring the silvery embroidery that flashed at the hem, neckline, waistline, and sleeves, Kathrina asked, "Are you wearing any jewelry, Miss Ami?"  
  
Thinking about the very trivial matter for a minute, Ami came to a decision and stuck her nose back into her book. "Just the sapphire earrings will do."  
  
"The round drops?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"The silver necklace with the little water sapphires with the matching bracelet would look nice, my lady."  
  
Sighing and wondering if she would never be left in peace to finish Indigo, the princess figured it was better to submit then spend time arguing and replaced the blue ribbon that served as a bookmark. "All right, Kathrina. But no more. Is it time already?" she asked, slightly unnerved that the time had passed so quickly.  
  
"It is, Miss Ami. And don't worry, because you look perfect. I'll be watching you catch all the stares of the gentlemen."  
  
Laughing at the ridiculous statement and pushing aside the thought that she did want to `catch the stare' of a particular gentlemen, Ami replied, "Thank you, Kathrina, but I doubt that it'll really happen."  
  
As it was, Ami did get everyone's attention, but it was only because of the extravagant appearance that Greg had planned. And if there was any one she hated in the world, she most disliked him at the moment. She beamed brightly at the crowd that gathered around the gigantic marble stars, inwardly wondering why her ancestors had chosen to make the thing so damned big and LONG. With one hand on the right stair rail, Ami addressed them all. "Welcome, everyone. Tonight, we honor the late Sir Leon, a very great and wise man. But we are also gathered to celebrate our good relations with Earth and her prince, Endymion. We thank the Terran Embassy for their kind and considerate journey."  
  
Zoicite, in gray uniform, rolled his eyes expressively at the speech, guessing how she felt. He had been there earlier, admiring the large but not overdone crystal chandeliers. The ball room was quite large without being overbearing, and the music was provided by an orchestral quartet. The blue-and-white tiling of the floor was cool and serene, and a light breeze came in from the open windows and the door to a little balcony that he could just glimpse if he strained his eyes. Now, however, he could only feel very relieved that he wasn't called upon to make any announcements today.  
  
As the dance began, he threaded his ways through the crowds masterfully until he was at the princess's elbow. Smiling and speaking softly, he asked, "Princess Ami, may I have the first dance?"  
  
Flushing, she nodded and placed her hand in his outstretched palm. "You may, General Zoicite."  
  
"That was a very nice speech you just made."  
  
Rather sardonically, she replied, "Thank you. I'm sure half the people here think so, as well."  
  
"Ah well. If I may be so bold, may I see that half the people here are men, and that they are all watching you?"  
  
Maneuvering her way through the crowd of dancers, Ami retorted, "The other half of the population is also watching you, if you'd be so kind as notice."  
  
The first dance had ended, and Zoicite bowed elegantly, with a slight grin on his face, his right arm in a fist at his left shoulder. "As you wish, my lady."  
  
She watched shocked from her position at the edge of floor and then during her dances with Greg as the general proceeded to ask almost every eligible woman for dance after dance, secretly jealous of the women that flirted unashamedly with the oh-so-charming general. Before the night was over, she had heard thousands of remarks about his adorable curls, the manly form and height, the piercing green eyes, and his suave and charismatic manner. Around a dance or two before the last one, Ami decided she had had enough, bored of watching Zoicite charm all the women at the ball. Walking out onto the balcony, feeling decidedly ruffled, she was slightly soothed to find no one else there, so she could fume in peace. Suddenly, she was shocked. Fuming? Annoyed? What was the matter with her? He was just a rather nice man after all, who would be leaving soon. It didn't matter that he was extremely attractive when he wanted to be, as he was proving, or that he had good taste in books and  
just about everything. Out of patience with everything, including herself, the princess marched purposefully to the nearest door, willing herself not to look at any of the dancers-particularly not to search for Zoicite.  
  
Just as she put her hand on the door handle, his light voice said from behind her, "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."  
  
Whirling around to glare at him, she asked, "And why not?"  
  
"Well, the last dance is about to begin, and I'd rather you have your hand in mine than on the door handle."  
  
"Why, you-" She was shocked when he reached out and caught the hand that she had almost slapped him with. "I'm...so sorry...I didn't know what I was doing..."  
  
Watching her with more than mere shock, Zoicite bowed. "I apologize for my most uncultured manners, Princess Ami, and beg that you dance this last dance with me."  
  
Surrendering reluctantly, she allowed him to draw her back into the press of men and women on the floor. "You can be a very confusing person at times, you know."  
  
Smiling, Zoicite stopped to kiss her gloved hand. "I know. But you're the same, did you realize? I didn't expect that you would be this way."  
  
With a rather crooked smile, she asked, "I'm not your average damsel in distress, am I? Or even the rebellious, headstrong girl who won't listen to anyone?"  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say that...but you, my lady, are definitely not a girl."  
  
"And why do you say that?"  
  
Seriously, green eyes sharp and appraisingly, he replied, "Because your eyes are much too old."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Furious once more at the same exact person, Ami strode back to her rooms purposefully, along. She had rejected the gen's offer to escort her back to her rooms-which was, anyway, one of the most important rules of protocol (no one must ever be seen in or near a princess's rooms, especially not one of lower rank). How could he be so...scholarly, then understanding, so normal...and then...a womanizer? It just did not make sense to her. And he had dared to tell her that her eyes were old. "I don't think my eyes are old," she muttered to herself disgustedly, rather disgruntled.  
  
Hearing her, Kathrina called, "Miss Ami?"  
  
"Yes, it's me. Did you enjoy the ball?"  
  
"Oh yes, my lady. I saw you dancing quite a few times with Commander Urawa, too. But you danced twice with General Zoicite."  
  
As she got ready for bed, Ami asked tiredly, "And what did you think of him?"  
  
"General Zoicite? Oh, he's quite dashing, Miss Ami! All the women at the ball giggled at his jokes, and he was very charming. Quite the gentleman. But besides his charm, he's also very attractive. Everyone commented about his eyes, and the sunshine of his hair. It's a pity that he isn't a prince, because everyone would certainly like it if he was the Prince of Mercury! Didn't you think he was charming too, Miss Ami?"  
  
Shortly, she answered, "Quite."  
  
"And isn't it a very great pity he's only a general?"  
  
"I suppose so. Good night, Kathrina."  
  
"Oh, good night, Miss Ami."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The next morning, Ami woke up in a particularly foul mood. She would have skipped breakfast completely if Kathrina had not insisted and refused to let her out of her room if she didn't eat something. Afterwards, she had dressed in simple white shirt and tan pants before heading off to the training room-not that it would matter. After all the princesses had left the Moon five years ago, they had still kept in shape by using the exercises and training that the Lunar cats had beaten into their minds and bodies to make them remember. Ah, the memories...  
  
Once inside one of the highly warded practice rooms, Ami transformed into Sailor Mercury and prepared to use the computer simulations. Doggedly, she fought enemy after enemy, using both her fists and feet as well as her powers granted as a senshi. She had no idea how long she was at it, taking out her frustrations on the simulations, but when she finally stopped (being too exhausted too continue, which was a rare occurrence, as Ami usually paced herself more sensibly), she realized that it had been quite a few hours. Shrugging moodily as she detransformed and examined various bruises and cuts that she had gotten today, on top of a few old scars and yellow-green bruises that were fading, the princess winced at the extent thorough beating she had taken. "Oh well...it could have been worse," she muttered, less than optimistically. Teleporting back to her room, to assure that no one in the hallways would see her in her sweaty, disheveled state, Ami checked the clock on her wall  
and decided she would have time to shower before her wonderful and much-anticipated meeting with the embassy. Besides, it wouldn't do to greet everyone smelling like sweat, blood, and a number of other unpleasant things. After a relaxing hot shower, Ami examined her closet closely before choosing another simple gray dress. Perhaps, she thought to herself, it was time to increase the size of her wardrobe, if she had so much trouble deciding what to wear. Putting the matter aside for the moment, she zipped up the back of the dress with ease and quickly put a pair of simple white pearl earrings in her ears and left the room without looking back.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The Prime Minister, otherwise known as the General Commander of the Navy, also just called Greg Urawa, shifted nervously. Ami was making him very nervous during the talks. Of course, all the formalities had to be gone through first, and he wasn't paying any attention to the political garbage pouring out of any of the diplomats' mouths. He had heard it all before; it was boring and monotonous, and he wasn't going to waste his time listening to it. His princess, of course, had to appear very interested and attentive during the entire process and make the correct replies. However, whenever Greg had attempted to catch her eye, she had coldly refused to meet his own and ignored him with an air of extreme iciness that chilled him. It really was too bad he wasn't telepathic, he cursed himself inwardly. Then she couldn't refuse to talk to him.  
  
The only thing that appeased him and drew him out of his very foul mood was the fact that Ami was also pointedly refusing to acknowledge General Zoicite's existence. Greg knew it wasn't a very nice thing, but he was jealous of the general, although he knew Zoicite was bewildered as to why Greg resented him. Especially after last night's events...he clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain in his jaw, remembering how distracted his princess had been all last night. Even when he had attempted to converse with her, Ami had kept her eyes on Zoicite, watching him and all the women he danced him. Well, Greg scoffed, serves the fool right. If there's anything that Ami hates more than youma, the Negaverse, and getting married, it's a womanizer. Grudgingly, he admitted that womanizer wasn't exactly the right term. Although Zoicite had danced with more than quite a few women, he had always remained a perfect, polite gentleman with very honorable intentions. He suspected Ami was thinking  
around the same lines of thought and smiled grimly. All he would have to do was catch her later in the most secluded garden, where Greg was sure she would be, reading (as her reclusive habits had taught him). It was almost too easy...  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
After the meeting and lunch, in which nothing had been resolved (certainly not the matters of dispute between both planets) but a lot of rubbish meaninglessly instigated, Ami was quite certain that she was not looking forward to the next day's schedule, where they would meet once more. Feeling slightly warm as the sun rose to its highest point, the dark-haired woman searched through her closet for one of her favorite dresses. Reaching her ankles, the thin white dress was cool and relaxing, the material slipping through her fingers. It was also sleeveless, with a rather low neckline, but both of these attributes of the dress slipped her mind. Gathering up Indigo, with full intentions of finishing it, Ami teleported to her favorite garden. She had, with Lita's help on her infrequent visits to Mercury (it was hard for all of them to get away from their respective planets) grown many different plants from each of the planets and even created some interesting new breeds. But her  
main reason was the seclusion. Only a few other people besides herself, Greg included (she was resenting that fact today) knew the key to finding their way to the garden. It was concealed in a puzzling labyrinth of hedges that formed a maze, and the garden was hidden at the very center. If any one was fortunate enough to reach the garden, which had only happened once or twice, they needed to be able to see the door, which had been cleverly disguised by the Princess of Jupiter. Smiling in satisfaction, Ami settled down to read in peace and quiet.  
  
Before long, however, an intruder knocked lightly on the door. Luckily, the particular passage Ami had been reading had calmed her some, with its beautiful description and almost soporific effect. "Yes? Who is it?"  
  
"It's me, Ami. Can I come in?"  
  
`Greg,' she thought to herself. Sighing, she called back, "You might as well." As  
  
he entered, she asked, "Nothing's happened, has it?"  
  
"No," he assured her, forcing a smile on his face as he ruffled his previously unruly brown hair. "Can't old friends just have a talk in private?" She said nothing, waiting patiently, until Greg sighed and complained, "You know me too well, and you always know what I'm thinking-even though I have no idea what you're thinking about."  
  
Casting her eyes down, Ami murmured, "It's a gift," smirking uncharacteristically as she gazed at the greenery.  
  
Dryly, he told her, "Don't try to work your mysterious gift thing on me. I wanted to-I wanted to-oh, never mind."  
  
Softly, she said, "It hurts me to think that you can't tell me anything, Greg."  
  
Looking into her deep, ocean-blue eyes, he exhaled deeply and tried to collect his thoughts. "I'm sorry, Ames. What I came here to do was apologize for that meeting."  
  
"But you're already forgiven," she exclaimed in surprise. "I had no idea you thought I was still angry at you."  
  
"You were doing a good impression today at the meeting," he pointed out.  
  
Blushing, she shrugged slender white shoulders. "Alright, I guess I was still a little upset, but I'm over it now. And you promise not to do it again, right?" she asked with a gentle smile.  
  
Feeling his heart do flip flops, Greg nodded quickly. "Yeah. Oh, damn it," he cursed as he glanced at his watch. Feeling her eyes on him, he said, "I'm late for an appointment with one of my officers. Your leave, my lady?"  
  
Wondering for a minute what he was asking for, Ami jumped as she realized that formality he wanted. Holding out her hand uneasily, she drew it back as soon as he had kissed it. "Greg-"  
  
"Until another time, your highness."  
  
Frowning as she watched him go, Ami sighed and made a mental note to talk properly with him. After around another hour or so, she beamed in perfect contentment, having finished the book. Suddenly, her attention was attracted by the scraping of the door. Greg and the other persons who knew how to get in always knocked, and the door was beginning to open slowly. "Hello?" she called cautiously as the book fell from her lap.  
  
"My lady...Ami?" Zoicite emerged from the doorway, blinking curiously. "What is this place?"  
  
"How did you get in here?" she gasped.  
  
"I'm so sorry," he apologized, bowing as he backed out the door. "I didn't mean to intrude on you-"  
  
"No, wait!" Ami cried. Flushing furiously as red color came into her cheeks, accenting her sapphire eyes and the blue tints in her hair, she explained, "I just...was surprised, that's all. See, this garden is concealed by green magic by a friend of mine, and the maze is almost impossible to get through."  
  
Mouth curving wryly, he picked a few leaves off his gray uniform and out of his hair. "It certainly fooled me a few times, but I cheated." When she looked at him inquiringly, Zoicite smiled. "I have powers as you do, Ami, but I have green magic like your friend. I can siphon useful information with plants, besides growing them and caring for them in a way that other people cannot. The garden is really hidden?"  
  
"Oh, yes, but only by the plants. The pattern they're grown in should have mystified everyone. But I suppose, with your magic," she trailed off shyly.  
  
"Tell me," he said curiously, "what does your magic allow you to do?"  
  
Inviting him to sit down on one of the many stone benches, she sat across from him, blue eyes growing dreamy as she talked about her powers. "I can work with water and ice but mostly ice. I can also create thick fogs and mists that are nearly impenetrable. Nearly as impenetrable as this maze was supposed to be," she laughed.  
  
Suddenly spotting the book on the ground, Zoicite asked, "I take it you were finishing up Indigo?"  
  
Also seeing the tome, she leaned over just as he did. Wincing, realizing that she had pulled a muscle that morning during her grueling practice, she reached the book much quicker than he did but straightened up slowly and carefully. Catching his concerned look as she rubbed her arm and asked defensively, "What are you staring at?"  
  
"What happened to your arm?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Ignoring her belligerent tone, the general's quick green eyes traveled over her neck and shoulders that the dress left bare. They took in the various bruises and cuts, something seeming even worse than they had that morning. "What happened to you? Did someone hurt you? Threaten you?"  
  
Laughing at his protective tone, she replied, "Nothing and no one has hurt me, although people have tried to before."  
  
"What happened, Ami. You have to tell me," Zoicite commanded her seriously.  
  
Stiffening, her eyes became angry and darker-hued. "You overstep your boundaries, general. Don't presume to order me around. I don't have to tell you anything I don't want to."  
  
"You sound like a spoiled child. Tell me, really," he said, sounding worried, "did you get hurt? Look at all those injuries?"  
  
For a few minutes, the princess just laughed again, but this time, it was without real mirth...until she grew silent and said nothing, shadows in her eyes.  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	5. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 5  
  
Feeling his eyes on her, Ami stopped laughing finally and thought about what to tell him. Her mind whirred as she contemplated whether or not to reveal the truth about the senshi to him. Zoicite did seem trustworthy, and besides that, he was genuinely concerned...or should she just lie and say she fell down an entire staircase or something like that? Before she made up her mind, he unwisely pressured her again in his anxiety.  
  
"Ami, please, what happened to you? Are you sure no one attempted to, well-"  
  
The pale pink of her cheeks darkening to sullen red, Ami stood up angrily. "Stop pressing me, Zoicite. It's none of your business, like I said before, and I can take care of myself. I've done so for nearly twenty five years. Besides, I'm sure you have many other court ladies to spend time with. Why don't you ask them about their personal experiences? I'm sure they'd be glad to give you a full account." With those blistering statements, she teleported away in a frigid wind, never noticing that she had forgotten her book again.  
  
The general, meanwhile, remained in the garden for a few minutes, too stunned to do much else but stare at the space where she had been. After a few minutes, he began to smile and picked up her book, teleporting out of the maze and near the back door to the palace. Whistling, he proceeded cheerily to his rooms, greeting everyone graciously with a sparkle in his leaf-dark eyes. Yes, the Princess Ami was much more intriguing than he had ever thought she would be...and she definitely had a lot more pride than he thought she would.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
After teleporting back to her rooms, Ami made sure no one else was about, especially Kathrina. Sinking onto her bed, she buried her face in her hands until an immense wave of hot anger came over her. Punching her pillow as if it had offended her deeply, she was unaware of the tears pouring down her face as she asked herself, "Why does he have to make me so mad? I don't understand him at all...first he practically ignores me at the ball, then I ignore him during the meetings, but it doesn't seem to affect him one bit. And now, he can try to be so kind and worried about me just because of senshi training, but he's really only-only another typical man who's in insulting-and-and pushy, to boot. Well, he can go and take his perfect looks and charming attitude to hell!" With that, she burst into tears, as fresh salty drops poured down her cheeks over the old tear stains. Exhausted from her ordeals that morning and afternoon, Ami sank into a deep sleep, although her dreams were  
troubled and dark.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The next morning, Zoicite rose from his comfortable bed at the crack of dawn, stretching groggily. It was on days like this, in the chill air of mornings on Mercury, that he truly resented his job. Although he had gotten to meet one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen...but what had ever possessed him to become a general? Well, okay, Kunzite definitely had something to do with it, and so did Endymion...and so did his past. Shaking himself, the blonde pulled on his boots, then cursed as he reached out for the white tunic and pants on his chair, taking off the boots again. After pulling on his clothes satisfactorily, Zoicite walked cheerily down the hall to the buffet breakfast the Terran Embassy enjoyed every day. The large room was bright and cheery, and the aroma was almost more than a hungry man could bear. Nodding to quite a few people that waved at him, he filled his plate easily (growing quite knowledgeable after three days on the planet about which foods were  
good to eat and which would shock his system) and sat down next to Antin and a few other of his friends. "Morning."  
  
Various grunts and waves came from down the line, as well as a few groans. "Morning," replied Antin, along with a few other people. "Sleep well?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow acridly, he asked, "Does it look that way?"  
  
"Well, besides the fact that your hair looks as if birds nested in it and that your eyes seem to be permanently sunken into your cheekbones-"  
  
"I get the point," the gen growled rather testily. "What're we meeting about today? Anything passably interesting?"  
  
Shaking his head regretfully, Antin shrugged and said, "You know in delicate things like this, it takes forever to get through all the political mumbo-jumbo." Suddenly, cheering up after his gloomy state, he winked conspiratorially and nudged Zoicite. "So, Zoi, I hear that you spent the first and last dances of the ball with a certain princess. What was she like?"  
  
Looking around, the green-eyed man sighed when he noticed that Antin had gotten everyone's attention by his rather impudent statements. "She was nice. And she isn't a sorceress, so you can all rest assured."  
  
Curiously, another man Zoicite was only vaguely familiar with, asked, "Is she as beautiful as she is up close as she is from far away?"  
  
Stiffening slightly, wondering why he felt the first pangs of jealousy, the general shrugged. "Yeah, I'd say she is."  
  
"She's as beautiful as the Moon Queen and her daughter or even the Princess of Venus." (This particular statement produced a few squabbles among the men, who had traveled to many planets. Several of them were in love with Princess Serenity and even her mother, while others were ardent admirers of Mina of Venus.)  
  
Shaking his head, listening to their squabbles, Zoicite's attention was attracted once more as Antin elbowed him urgently. Giving him an odd look, he followed his friend's motions and went out into the deserted corridor. "What is it, Antin?"  
  
"You stay away from the princess while you can, Zoicite. She's dangerous, and if you father a child on her, you'll be dead in ten seconds flat."  
  
Turning a dark red hue, he replied, "I had no attention of doing that, but thank you for your advice. I can watch out for myself, you know."  
  
"Just in case you needed a reminder," he returned, unperturbed. After a disquieting silence, he shrugged and eyed Zoicite carefully before returning to his breakfast. Meanwhile, frowning thoughtfully, the gen retreated back to his quarters to think about something that had never occurred to him before.... ~~~~*~~~~  
  
`Well,' Ami thought to herself, rather discouraged, `at least they've finally gotten down to the basic problem. Of course, they're referring to it as "communications failure," but at least today wasn't a total waste.' Beaming blissfully when Greg announced that there would be a two-day rest break from the talks with between the Mercurian and Terran ambassadors, Ami headed towards the door eagerly when everyone had gone. Everyone she thought, that is. As soon as she had closed and locked the doors behind her, a masculine voice startled her. Whirling around, she glared at her surpriser until she saw that it was Zoicite and then blushed. "Er...good day, General Zoicite."  
  
"Your highness," he bowed. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind walking with me for a short while?"  
  
"It would be no problem," she agreed softly. "I don't believe you've seen the Hall of Honor yet; would you like to tour it?"  
  
"That would be wonderful," Zoicite agreed readily. He tried not to gape as they entered the long hallway and succeeded admirably-or so he thought.  
  
Watching his expression, Ami smiled slightly. "I used to be afraid of this place when I was a child. I always thought that all the statues were scary and that they would come alive. The paintings were also creepy, because I thought that the people's eyes were following me. And yet, at the same time, everything was so cold and dead. It frightened me."  
  
Nodding slowly, he stopped short and looked hard at an extremely old painting in the middle of the hall. "Who is this? She looks a little like you..."  
  
Smiling when she realized which painting he was talking about, Ami replied, "Amiliena, one of the first ruling princesses of Mercury. She was also a planetary sailor senshi."  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"She fell in love with someone she was forbidden to marry, which soiled her reputation. But before that, she was a wise and widely-acclaimed ruler."  
  
Curiously, the general asked again, "What happened to Amiliena?"  
  
"After she bore his child, she was exiled. Somehow, he rescued her, and they escaped together. No one knows where they went, but their child, since there were no other heirs to the throne, was one of my ancestors." Hesitating for a moment, Ami said softly, "I was named after her."  
  
"She's beautiful," Zoicite whispered softly. After a moment, a thought occurred to him. He had almost forgotten his original purpose! "Uh...Ami, I wanted to ask you to pardon my extremely uncouth behavior yesterday."  
  
Cheeks reddening, she said hurriedly, "Oh no...I mean, it wasn't your fault at all. I was just-frustrated and lost my temper. I didn't mean to be rude and snap at you. I'm sorry; please forgive me."  
  
"I'll do my best...that is, if you'll forgive me as well." When she nodded accordingly, they walked along the hall for quite some time as Ami explained the history of Mercury, its first colonization, and a bit about the planet's rulers-not all of which were as intelligent and as industrious as they had been thought to be. None of them, however, struck the gen as much as Amiliena had. She really did look a lot like her descendant, with shining dark hair, graceful cheekbones, and the same wistful eyes. `So she fell in love with someone she wasn't supposed to,' Zoicite thought to himself. `Good for her. And I'll bet she was just as proud as her current successor.'  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
It was very late when they both started to return to their rooms that day, and Ami was just telling him about the importance of mining. Many precious crystals had been found underground, and they had been found to be useful in storing magic in large quantities. Considerably and particularly interested in crystals, as part of Zoicite's magic (besides plants), he had asked many questions, which the princess had answered with great tolerance, until she had laughed and promised that she would try to take him to see the mines one day soon. As they walked, Zoicite asked curiously, "What are the people of Mercury like? I mean, the commoners, not just the nobles in the palace. Are they different from Terrans? Or even Lunarians or Martians?"  
  
"Well, actually, most of the people here, unless they have magic, are like Terrans. We farm the same way you do to survive; although, as you may have noticed, our foodstuffs aren't exactly the same as yours. Besides that, we also have merchants and craftsmen just like everyone else in the Solar System."  
  
"So how are Mercurians different from Lunarians?"  
  
"Most Lunarians have silver or blond hair, and they magic in their bodies, is well, greater. But that may be because of the influence of the Silver Crystal. Oh, also, Neptunians and Mercurians are more aquatic than the rest of the galaxy, shall we say. Some of us can breathe under water without gills, and others can stay under water longer. Hardly anyone has hydrophobia. Some Uranians have learned to fly because of their superior control over the winds. They use their powers to manipulate the wind to its strongest so it will pick them up."  
  
Quietly, Zoicite said, "It seems like many people are magical nowadays. Isn't it a disadvantage to, well, people who aren't gifted?"  
  
She looked away, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. "Well..."  
  
Sensing her discomfort, the general pushed on. "There have been all sorts of rebellions on Earth who want to burn anyone with powers, calling them heretics and unnatural. Every year, more and more people die because of fear of the unknown. How do you deal with his?" he asked, looking intently into her deep blue eyes.  
  
Haltingly, Ami said, "We find the leaders of the rebellions...and we punish them...to lesson the public."  
  
"What kind of punishing?" he demanded.  
  
"They...die."  
  
Green eyes wide, Zoicite said, "But what if they were reasonable in their doubts? You just kill them to give the public a lesson?"  
  
"It's not my choice," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. She hated those tears, but she hated him more than anything or anyone else at the moment.  
  
Disbelievingly, he replied, "You're the ruler here, aren't you? Princess Ami?"  
  
"Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I have a complete control," she snapped. "I have a council, I have a Prime Minister, and there are other seats of government that even I do not have complete control over. Don't tell me that Prince Endymion has complete control over Earth!"  
  
About to give her a sharp remark, Zoicite closed his mouth with an almost audible click. "I'm sorry. I guess you're right. But it's late, and we should be going to bed now. Good night, Ami."  
  
Feeling equally uncomfortable, the dark-haired princess nodded to the gen. "And I, as well. Good night, Zoicite. Sleep well." `Or at least better than I will, because even my dreams are not undisturbed.'  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Ami woke up groggily the next morning, feeling as if she wanted to cry. Crying was bad, and in these past five days, she felt as if she had done more crying than in the past year. Sighing, she thought about the snippets of dreams she remembered. Men hanging from gallows, the public screaming, and the dark dungeons below the palace...shaking, she wrapped her arms around herself tightly until she got herself under control. Breathing deeply, she thought to herself, `And his eyes are still haunting my dreams. But why?' They were really beautiful eyes, actually, with great intelligence...but...she wished they would stop harrying her every minute she tried to rest, whether Zoicite was with her in person or not.  
  
Soon Kathrina came in, carrying breakfast and chattering cheerily as usual. "Miss Ami, good news! You get a break from those boring old talk for two days!"  
  
Smiling wanly, she took the tray and began to eat mechanically without appetite. "That's good news."  
  
"Are you planning to do anything today?"  
  
"Actually...I think I may put in some more training, and afterwards...hm...isn't there an informal dinner scheduled for tonight?"  
  
"Yes, my lady. Have you planned what you're going to wear?"  
  
"Something casual....and blue," Ami said slowly, glancing out the window at the beautiful sunrise.  
  
Looking through her closet, the maid pulled out a gown and flourished it dramatically in front of her mistress. "Well? What do you think about this one?"  
  
Raising her eyebrows, Ami examined the light silk dress, which had thin straps and a rather low neckline. Tiny water sapphires decorated the bodice at opportune places. "Where did this come from?"  
  
Smiling, Kathrina explained, "Princess Mina sent it to you around a month ago, remember? As a present?"  
  
"Oh, right...I remember now. She said it was the anniversary of....of...." Her eyes grew misty and faraway as she remembered both painful and wonderful times.  
  
"An anniversary of what, Miss Ami?"  
  
"Just-just...I don't remember. I guess it wasn't very important. Anyway, I suppose I'll wear this one, tonight. Mina would want me to. Could you just put it on that chair, Kathrina? Thank you."  
  
Once she was finished eating and Kathrina had left for other purposes and duties, Ami dressed in comfortable clothing and stopped by Zoicite's room, knocking lightly.  
  
Almost immediately, he shouted, "Come in, Antin. I've been waiting for you forever!"  
  
Smiling slightly, she opened the unlocked door, waiting for him to notice that it was not whom he was expecting. "Good morning, Zoicite."  
  
Swinging around abruptly and wincing as he slammed into the edge of his desk, the blond-haired general stood up immediately, green eyes startled yet amused at the same time. "The same to you, Ami. Is this a particular habit of yours?"  
  
Blinking, she inquired, "What habit?"  
  
"Scaring people out of their wits so early in the morning," he replied dryly, smirking slightly.  
  
"Actually, you're the first. Don't you feel honored?"  
  
"Actually, I do. So, to what do I owe the honor of your visit? Besides your obvious intent to give me heart failure."  
  
Smiling back, Ami replied, "I was wondering...well, generals have a training program, don't they? To keep in shape?"  
  
"Don't tell me princesses do that, too," he commented, looking extremely interested.  
  
Winking at him, she said, "Let's just say that most princesses don't...but there are always exceptions to the rules."  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	6. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 6  
  
As they walked along the hallways of the palace to the training room, Ami explained about training and why she had been hurt before. "Every so often, whenever I get the chance, I like to keep in shape by using the simulator. It's a highly-developed computer program that throws out youma and other creatures that one can choose to fight either physically or magically. Randomly, the computer will decide whether the opponent has physical, magical, or both types of strategy, and you won't know until it surprises you."  
  
"But...you get hurt, don't you?"  
  
"Well, it's a little inevitable when I get thrown into the walls a few times. A few cuts and minor scratches come when I get caught off my guard using weapons. Then the hardest times are when the youma can teleport all over the place. So you spend half the time fighting it by kicking and punching, but then you suddenly realize that it's hurling bolts at you that burn through your clothing. Trust me, it's not pretty."  
  
Looking extremely surprised, Zoicite reminded himself that he would definitely have to find out more about Mercurian technology and tell his fellow generals about this type of training. Kunzite would love getting creative new ways to torture them all, he thought to himself dryly. "Isn't it dangerous? I mean, could you die from it?"  
  
"Let's just say that if you're smart enough, you'll admit defeat if you can't handle it. But not many people can use the simulator. For one thing, most people have limited resources, and this type of thing isn't exactly very available for the typical person. But yes, you can get very bad injuries if you aren't careful." Closing her eyes briefly, the princess remembered the time she had nearly lost an arm after it had been broken badly and scorched besides. Now her left arm was slightly stiff but recovering nicely, but she would have light brownish burn scars under and along her forearm forever. Ami opened her eyes and smiled as she opened the door. "Of course, we won't be using the simulator-unless you're in the mood for experimenting."  
  
"No," he replied hastily, "I think one on one combat will do very nicely, thanks." Shrugging, she began typing away at the computer, which answered with various clicks and beeps. Curiously, the gen asked, "What are you doing?"  
  
"Just setting up one of the training rooms. It's more interesting in strange terrain."  
  
Shuddering slightly, Zoicite asked, "But why do you have to undergo such harsh training? Not that it's a negative thing for you to be able to defend yourself...but..."  
  
"Most princesses don't have to deal with this type of situation, and if they do, they have others to fight for them?" Ami finished off his statement mildly, raising an eyebrow. When he nodded, she stared off into the distance for a few silent minutes before turning to face him once more. "You're right, in most aspects of the world. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to me. And I'm going to tell you something that must not travel outside the walls of this room or any other protected room, understand?" When he nodded quickly, the blue-haired woman continued, "I am the senshi of Mercury. Thus, I have to retain my fighting skills and wits any day that the darkness may threaten. And it's threatening daily."  
  
Fighting to breathe with his shock, the gen gulped a few deep breaths before he was calm enough to digest the information. This delicate-looking, beautiful, proud princess was a senshi?!  
  
As if she knew what he was thinking, Ami smiled slightly. "I went to the Moon when I was ten and returned for a month when I was nineteen when my mother died. I was called back after a month when strange traces of magic were being found on the Moon. I didn't return until I was twenty, because my father was getting old and near his death. And so...after he died, I became ruling princess. I haven't set foot on the Moon, which was my home for ten years, since I was twenty."  
  
"You lived fifteen years on Mercury and ten on the Moon?" When she nodded, Zoicite massaged his temples. He wasn't used to getting such earth-shattering news so calmly and in just a few seconds. "How come no one has made the connection that you're the senshi? Don't you look alike?"  
  
"It would be extremely dangerous for me if anyone found out my other identity. But, through magic, we have ways to deal with that. I'll show you." Pulling out her transformation wand from her subspace pocket, Ami glanced at it critically for a few minutes before raising her arm up in the air and shouting, "Mercury Planet Power!" The general watched, flabbergasted, as a thick foam of brilliant blue bubbles swirled out of nowhere to envelope the princess. When he could see her once more, she was wearing knee-length boots, a short blue skirt, a white sailor-suit like top with a blue collar and two lighter blue bows (one in the back), as well as elbow-length white gloves. Completing the ensemble was a dark blue choker with the symbol of Mercury and a golden tiara with a sapphire stone set in the middle.  
  
Blinking, he exclaimed, "But you look exactly the same! Well, not exactly the same, because your clothes are different and everything-"  
  
Looking puzzled, the senshi looked down at herself in bewilderment. "Are you sure? The disguise magic doesn't affect you?"  
  
"Disguise magic?"  
  
Sighing, Mercury explained, "No one except the fellow senshi and my Prime Minister know that I am a senshi. Even Greg couldn't tell that I was Ami...well, he couldn't tell that we were the same person. As a senshi, I'm supposed to look completely different. Sometimes my features are even obscured and foggy. Only the senshi could see through the magic, and we had to master that first."  
  
Shrugging, the gen replied, "I can't see any difference, and I see all your features clearly. Is this going to be a problem?"  
  
"It may be. I don't know, because it's never happened before. I'll have to contact the Moon and ask them about it. For now, though, we can start, if you want."  
  
Nodding, Zoicite snapped his fingers and was enveloped immediately in a sparkling white uniform with the usual green trim. "See, no special effects here. The uniform looks just like some of my dressier tunics."  
  
"Let's start with just some basic, physical training. We can move on easily from there," she suggested confidently.  
  
Gazing at her, awed, the general thought that she sounded the age of experience and wisdom. And indeed, she was.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
They had begun fighting with powers almost half and hour ago, and Mercury was feeling pretty exhausted herself. She admired his skills as a fighter; he had quickly proved this his skills levels were almost identical to hers, even if they each had different areas of specialization. Effortlessly, every time she had tried to hit him, he had caught her wrist or deflected the blow so that when it landed, it was very light. Likewise, she had been able to stop most of his attacks, and although her build was slighter than his, she had spent her years on the Moon building up her stamina and dexterity, as he had worked on endurance, muscles, and agility.  
  
As they had moved on to attacks, she had analyzed his attack style, which changed constantly to throw her off guard. Her first pattern had been, in her opinion, one of a better and very subtle design, but the crafty general had found her weak spot and dissolved her shield. Mercury had switched to pattern after pattern, just as he altered his style to keep up. Their powers were also very different. She could conjure up mystifying fogs and send sharp icy fragments and icy hailstorms at him, but Zoicite could not only use razor sharp leaves but very powerful crystals to combat her attacks. Usually they ended up canceling each other's out.  
  
Eyeing her steadily, he called, "Are you tired yet?" as they circled each other for what must have been the ninth time that fight.  
  
Grinning, she shouted back, "Not even winded. Come on, General Zoicite-let's see what the Four Shitenou are capable of. You want to be a credit to General Kunzite's training, don't you?"  
  
"Are you trying to psych me out?" he asked in reply, keeping his eyes on her forms. He noticed the muscles of her leg tightening as she prepared to leap over him and jumped aside.  
  
"No, never. Would I do a thing like that?"  
  
"Yes," he grumbled. "I wouldn't put it past you."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Two hours later and still evenly matched, the princess and the general had decided it was time to call it quits and agreed that they would meet for the informal dinner later. Heading back to his room and thinking about the wonderfully steamy shower he would be indulging himself in, Zoicite halted and nearly tripped over his feet in trying to avoid a messenger. "Oh...I'm very sorry. Are you all right?"  
  
Pleasantly righting herself, she bowed neatly and replied, "I'm just fine, my lord general, and it's quite all right. You have a message from General Jadeite, my lord."  
  
Accepting the sealed envelope, he tucked it into his pocket almost as an afterthought. "My thanks."  
  
"My pleasure."  
  
When she had left, Zoicite opened the door to his rooms and sighed, taking out the envelope and throwing it into the first desk drawer, which he locked and hid the key once more. Just in case Jade had decided to send some important information... Gathering a fresh change of clothes, he turned on the water and waited for a few minutes until he was sure it would be hot and then got. The general sighed in bliss as the hot water poured over his hair, face, and body, relaxing the tired muscles and draining the tension from his body. Shortly after he was clean and dried, Zoicite walked over to his drawer and unlocked it, taking out the rather soiled letter again. Skimming its contents quickly, his eyebrows raised before he scowled darkly in contemplation. It read:  
  
Zoi-  
  
So you've been having fun on Mercury, I hear. Well, aside from those talks that you must be enjoying. Glad I'm not in your place. So, you think the Princess of Mercury is attractive, don't you? Show some subtlety and restraint, because even I can do that better than you're doing it. I'll admit she's pretty attractive, but I thought you were smarter than to get mixed up with a princess. Remember to watch your back, because we're not there to watch it for you. Oh, by the way, if you're pissed about the surveillance, they're Kunzite's spies-not mine.  
  
-Jade  
  
P.S. Don't be stupid, Zoi. Now is definitely not the time to start. -Kunzite  
  
Crumpling up the note, his cheeks flushed a dark, angry crimson hue, Zoicite threw it back into the drawer and locked it. After a moment's thought, he took it out once more and began his reply on a fresh sheet of paper.  
  
Jadeite and Kunzite-  
  
So you're watching me, are you? I'm learning about new technology and training up here-better than you two could ever do. Admit it-getting close to the princess means that I get the advantages of much more knowledge than a common visitor. I'm not interested in her romantically, as you seem to think. I don't think the Mercurians appreciate spies, and neither do I. I'm watching my back, as usual. Thanks for the advice, Kunzite. I keep it in mind always. Why don't you and Jade take your own suggestions? You seem to need it a lot more than I do.  
  
-Zoicite  
  
P.S. Neph, I'm disappointed in you. You didn't have your two cents' worth to add-or is it two stars worth?  
  
Smiling pleasantly, Zoicite folded the sheet neatly and stuck it into a fresh envelope. He would drop it off on his way to dinner...and he grinned just imagining their reactions. Normally, he wasn't this annoyed in his letters, but the fact that they were spying on him and that they thought he was interested in Ami... Both ideas were just preposterous. He wondered how they could have become so asinine in the five short days he had been gone from Earth. Of course he wasn't interested in Ami...right?  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Feeling more than slightly uncomfortable in the revealing dress that Mina had sent her, Ami picked at her food inconspicuously, straining to hear the conversation of those around her.  
  
"Hearing anything interesting?" a soft voice inquired dryly at her elbow, and she turned slightly to stare at the speaker, feeling her cheeks blushing hotly.  
  
"Actually, I am," she retorted loftily, attempting to regain her dignity. "Everyone's talking and laughing together. It's good news."  
  
"My comrades are conversing with your nobles and quite freely, too, I should say. It looks like things are working out to both of our advantages," he smiled back. "But besides all this political talk, I was wondering if you could explain to me about Lunar cats. You must have come in contact with them on the Moon, didn't you?"  
  
Remembering her mentors Luna and Artemis, the latter of which was on the Moon with Serenity, the former on Venus guarding Mina, Ami nodded. "Lunar cats are always a popular topic," she remarked. "They come from Mau, and they actually can shape-shift between two forms. Some of the particularly gifted Mau can develop other forms. However, their natural form is that of a cat. They can also become human, and hair or fur color as well as eye color will remain the same."  
  
"What about the crescent moon emblems on their foreheads?"  
  
Smiling once more, Ami said, "You must have visited the Moon, then, and met Luna and Artemis. They both have sigils to show that they are official guardians of the royal family there."  
  
Inquisitively, the gen asked, "How come the other planets don't have Lunar cats? Or Mercurian or Jovian animals?"  
  
"Actually, I'm not sure. The topic has been debated a few times, but most people have come to the general consensus that the Moon is the most important, etc., etc., as the foundation of the Silver Alliance."  
  
Changing the subject, Zoicite commented, "My friend, General Nephrite, is very interested in astronomy, especially about stars. He's curious to hear what the Mercurians have to say about the comet that recently passed through the Milky Way. Have your scientists come up with any explanations?"  
  
"No, we haven't, but everyone agrees that it was definitely a supernatural occurrence with a very strange path. If I remember correctly, it was white with a multicolored tail. But it circled past all the planets, from Pluto inwards until it went past the Earth and eventually the sun. Did it enter the Terran atmosphere, by any chance?"  
  
"It's a shame, but no. For this reason, we were unable to study it closer..."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
It was late again that night when Zoicite escorted Ami back to her rooms. Pausing outside the closed door, she smiled teasingly and observed, "Ever since you've begun escorting me to my rooms, I've always gone to sleep very late at night."  
  
"Perhaps, but I reach my room even later than you do," he jested back.  
  
"Will you meet me here tomorrow morning, after breakfast?"  
  
"Of course," the gen answered, slightly surprised. "Sweet dreams. Unless, of course, you don't like them."  
  
Spinning around suddenly, as she had been about to open the door, ocean blue met forest green. Intensely, she whispered, "Do dreams disturb your sleep at night?"  
  
Steadily, Zoicite replied, "We all have our haunting skeletons in the closet. It's an unavoidable part of living."  
  
"I don't suppose you ever have these pair of eyes flashing in your mind every time you try to rest, do you?"  
  
"Yes, I do," he breathed softly. "But no one else ever..."  
  
"They're your eyes," they said together, before falling silent and staring at one another.  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	7. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 7  
  
It was the sixth day of Zoicite's visit, and he was beginning to fall in love with the subtle beauty of both the palace and the planet...as well as some other things. Shortly after breakfast, he found his way to Ami's rooms with ease, now familiar with most parts of the palace. Knocking on the door, he was surprised (not an uncommon occurrence during his journey and stay on Mercury; he was beginning to get resigned to it) to see that the princess was dressed in casual clothing, a plain brown shirt and white cotton shirt with a head covering for her distinctive hair. Smiling at him, she said, "Good morning. I thought that you might like to visit the crystal mines today, if you aren't too tired."  
  
"Good morning. I would love to, but I don't have any plainer clothing, only generals' uniforms."  
  
Scrutinizing him closely, she was suddenly struck by an idea that she wasn't sure was either good or bad. "Your build and height is a little like that of my father's when he was younger. I'm sure we could find some of his clothes from his youth that could fit you," Ami suggested.  
  
Before he could protest, the gen found himself walking along through a nearby town, wearing the King of Mercury's old clothes. He hadn't exactly felt right wearing them, but since there was no other alternative (his men were just as clothes-less as he was), he had given in and tried on the outfit. Ami had stood before him as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, with a slightly sad and wistful look on her face. He had guessed immediately what had caused it and felt bad, but there was nothing that he could do or say to make her feel better.  
  
Now her sorrow was hidden under a now-familiar smile as she waved to various friendly people that had cordially waved at the strangers walking through their town. "I guess this town is like a typical Earthen town, but not all parts of mercury are like this."  
  
"Oh?" he asked, arching an eyebrow as he looked around at the street signs, open air markets with fresh produce and meat, and just homes in general.  
  
"There are some parts of Mercury that are completely submerged. There, we have our famous underwater cities, and most of our technology has been geared towards improving life under water."  
  
Envisioning the lovely sight, Zoicite questioned, "Then why don't you live there? I mean, why was the palace built above water and far away from it?"  
  
"It's not really that far away, and we do have advanced transportation systems that include teleportation," explained Ami, "and when Mercury first became colonized, we were not subaqueous people. I think it's only been in the past one hundred and fifty years or so that we've been able to live underwater without very little trouble. One hundred and fifty years compared to thousands of millions of years of life before that is not a very long time. We're hoping, with the help of the other planets, especially Neptune, that new improvements will be made."  
  
The semi-long walk to the mines seemed much shorter because of the eager conversation between Ami and Zoicite, and the latter was almost disappointed that they were switching from the topic of aquatic life to crystal formation but decided that one can't have everything in life. Looking around furtively, Ami located the doorway to a less-traveled mine that was no longer in use. "There are quite a few beautiful specimens left in this mine, and it's really quite safe."  
  
"Are there any lamps we can use?"  
  
Smiling in the gentle, enigmatic way he had learned to associate with her, the princess shook her head and curled her fingers into a fist. Curling them, he blinked as soft blue ice seemed to have materialized in her palm, shedding a bright light. "Light is not hard to maintain, and it doesn't wear away strength as easily as attacks do." As they entered the dark tunnel, lit by her eternal glow, they never noticed the Danger: Caution sign lying face down to the side of the mine....  
  
~~~~*~~~  
  
Although he had besieged her with questions in the beginning, they had been walking through this particular tunnel in silence for a while, just admiring the many-colored crystals and the unique hues each gave off. Suddenly, among all the beauty in the tunnel, Zoicite felt the need to rid his soul of one of his heaviest burdens. "Ami, what was your childhood like? Before you went to the Moon?"  
  
Darting a glance at him questioningly, she replied willingly, "My parents were quite busy, but they always endeavored to spend time with me. I was a happy child...even though anyone will tell you that I was a mischievous little imp."  
  
Letting out a startled laugh, the blond-haired man asked, "You? Associated with mischief? Never!"  
  
"You'd be surprised at some of the things I came up with," Ami told him, grinning slyly. "Most of the pranks were harmless, and I became very good at sneaking up on people."  
  
"I don't doubt it," he murmured dryly.  
  
"So what was your own youth like?"  
  
His previously good mood turning sour, Zoicite gazed unseeing at a particularly bright cluster of green crystals before plucking up the courage to tell her. "I was alone in life since I was ten years old."  
  
Softly, she asked, "What happened?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, the general continued to stare into the distance. It was as if he were speaking from eons away...from his soul. "Well, my father had taught me how to hunt a year ago, and game was becoming scarce near home. Because it was a pretty small town even then, hunting was a necessity to live. I had to track a dear many miles from my home...and then....when I came back, many of the buildings had been set on fire. I smelled-I smelled burning wood and flesh, so I began running towards home. There were dead people lying in the street: men, women, and even children. My parents and younger sister had both been killed by raiders. They used to hit our village continuously, but Endymion's father was too busy with his other work and couldn't be bothered with one small village. I lost everything that day," he whispered, not noticing that tears were running down his face. "It was a nightmare to see Father and Mother dead....and then there was Joie...my sister. She was a  
little like you as a child, I guess. You remind me of her sometimes. She was always playful and laughing, and she made the world a lighter place. Her name meant joy, and she brought it to the world in every way she knew how."  
  
Feeling an aching sadness in her heart, Ami said helplessly, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"So am I," he whispered brokenly, "so am I. After that, I traveled across the continent with whatever I could salvage from the ruins of our home. One day, I finally came to my destination-the palace. I wanted the king about what had happened to my village, but his councillors wouldn't even let me see him. They laughed at me, until a black-haired boy my age emerged from the room. It was Endymion, and he asked his father to listen to me. The king sent help for villages like mine and reinforced army squads patrolling the land. I stayed at the palace then, with Endy, and later...it was just natural for me to become a general. I stuck to him like glue, because I thought that if I couldn't protect my own family, then it was the least I could do to protect him." After a moment's pause, he went on with his long soliloquy. "Some people think that it's fate that I became a general. That it was destiny my family died. The strange thing was, my name used to be just plain Zoi. So it was  
all nice and easy for them to make it `Zoicite' for a typical general's name-because we use minerals. But I refuse to believe that someone knew it would all turn out like this!! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!"  
  
Before either of them could say anything more, an ominous rumbling and crunching sound was heard. As dust filled the air and obscured the vision, Ami choked out, "I think the ceiling's caving in!" And indeed, it was, as the shaking and crashes grew closer and closer until the blue light went out and nothing more could be seen or heard in the dark silence of fallen tons of rock.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
When he finally came to, Zoicite was in a slight state of shock because of the extent of his injuries. He hadn't been killed, luckily, only surrounded by rocks because of a sturdy ceiling of rock above him that had not fallen. After carefully trying to shift around the rock in the dark for a few minutes, he decided that it was hopeless. Frowning, he thought about the cave-in. True, he had been shouting rather loudly, but it was dangerous for caves to just cave-in because of loud noises. The problem was, he wasn't sure if anyone knew that they had come here. He had been surprised when they had had on trouble slipping out. On Earth, Endymion was followed around by the generals AND one or two bodyguards to ensure his safety. The biggest problem was, the gen didn't think he had enough energy for a teleport. Besides that, he was unwilling to leave Ami, and he couldn't find her in the surrounding stone and pitch-black darkness.  
  
Suddenly, he blinked, cat-like green eyes seeing something in the black. His mind was disbelieving his eyes for one of the first times in his life, and Zoicite wasn't sure if he was hallucinating yet or not. Frowning, he wrinkled his brow and stared further, trying to move his neck. Was that light...blue?? A memory struck him then: Ami's light that she had created when they had been walking through the mines. As the general retrieved his zoicite stone from deep inside him; it was a strong, dark forest green that matched his eyes. The minute he had drawn it out, the bluish light had become stronger and connected a beam with the stone. As all the power poured into his body, Zoicite's spine arched in pain from too much energy that wasn't his running through him. Instinctively, with as much control over his mind as he could muster, filled with a dazzling mix soft blue-green power, Zoicite teleported back to the Mercurian palace.  
  
Immediately, he was met by Greg. "General Zoicite! What happened to the princess? She's hurt!"  
  
Feeling his muscles groan in agony and stiffening at the man's tone that implied that he had had something to do with her injuries, the gen replied shortly, "We got caught in a cave-in at a mine. There were no warning signs around. We have to get her to the healers as soon as possible; her life signs are fading quickly."  
  
Together, the Prime Minister and the General of Earth got Ami to the infirmary. Unfortunately, there was only one junior healer there, eyes wide with fright as she backed into a corner, knocking over various bottles in her nervousness. "My lady!"  
  
Glancing at her with disdain, Greg asked, "Where are the other healers?"  
  
"There was a youma disturbance, my lord! Two hundred miles away! They took a transport vehicle shortly before breakfast!"  
  
Cursing to himself, Zoicite muttered to himself, "Probably too far away for them to teleport back, if they can teleport."  
  
"The only ones who can teleport are Meleah and Arino, and their ranges are very short."  
  
Taking a deep breath, the general looked deep into the other man's doubting brown eyes. He had no other choice, and he had to make this stubborn man who disliked him for no apparent reason see it as well. "You have to trust me on this one, Gregory. As a general, I have healing powers. It is within my level of training to deal with injuries such as the ones Ami has. Do you trust me enough to let me heal her?"  
  
After a moment's hesitation, Greg lowered pained eyes to the floor. "Yes," he whispered, "do what you can."  
  
Almost immediately, Zoicite reached for the blue-green within him still. Disregarding the misgivings in his own mind, he carefully burned out all traces of infection, healed the cracks of broken bones, and closed open cuts. In the process of healing her, he was surprised to find that his own injuries were healing. Slumping to the ground when he was finished, he looked at the Prime Minister, who was holding the princess's hands. "It is done."  
  
Casting a look at him, Greg sighed. "Thank you, General Zoicite. You're near collapse after working all that magic. Go back to your rooms and rest."  
  
"Will you stay with her?" the blond-haired man asked wearily, barely managing to keep himself from swaying dizzily.  
  
"Of course."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
"Can you believe the news that's going around?"  
  
"I haven't heard anything, what happened?"  
  
"The princess and General Zoicite were visiting one of the crystal mines when it caved in without warning! There weren't any signs around alarming visitors away, either!"  
  
"That's really dangerous! What happened to them? Are they hurt?"  
  
"General Zoicite teleported both of them back from the crush of rock, but the princess was almost dying! He healed her, and when she was healed, his own wounds were also gone!"  
  
"He must have powerful magic! How wonderful that he used it to save her highness!"  
  
"These Terrans are not as bad as we thought. He could have saved himself and left her there, you know. Then we could have been attacked and taken over by Earth, without any heirs left to the throne."  
  
"This General Zoicite should be very much rewarded, and we should also send our thanks to Prince Endymion."  
  
"I hear that in the diplomatic talks this morning, the princess's council was busy praising the general and thanking the embassy, as well."  
  
"Tell us more about this general, Anissa!"  
  
"I hear that he was born a commoner."  
  
"Oh, he was! He worked ever so hard to prove his worth to the prince, you know."  
  
"He's trained for years under High General Kunzite, hasn't he?"  
  
"Oh, General Kunzite's a wizard with his sword and brilliant warrior. He also trained the other generals, you know."  
  
"What are they like? Are they as powerful as General Zoicite?"  
  
"Even more so! Nephrite can talk to the stars, and Jadeite is very good at sensing auras."  
  
"Perhaps the Shitenou are different than we thought they were...and more important."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Ami groaned as she stirred the next morning, her muscles and entire body stiff and sore from yesterday's events. Opening her eyes slowly, she smiled slightly in recognition at the sleeping man in an extremely uncomfortable chair beside her. "Hello, Greg."  
  
Jumping as he woke up, the brunette man sighed with relief. After the healers had come back, they had refined some of Zoicite's healing but said that he had done and excellent job and gave Ami a clean bill of health. Still, he had remained near her throughout the night, drifting off sometime near dawn. "Ami! How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm all right, I guess. Have you been here the whole night?" When he nodded meekly, she scolded, "You shouldn't have! I'm perfectly fine. After my muscles stop screaming in pain, of course, but that will go away." Suddenly, the past day's events hit her hard, pouring remembrance back into her tired brain. "How did I get back here? He saved me, didn't he?"  
  
"Yes," Greg said softly.  
  
"Is he..." the princess trailed off weakly, that what she thought wasn't true.  
  
Looking down, the Commander General sighed. He remembered that through the night, she had twisted and turned through nightmares, sometimes calling out his name and some other man's that he did not know. "No, he's fine. He's just resting in his rooms, tired out after healing you. All the healers were away dealing with the aftermath of a youma attack."  
  
"Is everyone all right there?" When he nodded again, the princess sat up, disregarding his helping hands. "I want to get up."  
  
"I don't think so, Ami. You were badly injured and near death."  
  
"But I'm fine now, right? Then let me get up."  
  
"No. You'll overextend yourself and collapse."  
  
"I'm not some porcelain object!" Ami's temper was flaring, never a good sign. Suddenly, she glanced towards the door and beamed joyfully. "Zoicite!"  
  
Coming towards them, also smiling, the gen bowed rather stiffly to both. "Commander, princess. I trust you had a good night's rest?"  
  
Scowling at him, Greg got up as he noticed a messenger beckoning him outside the door. When he received the message that he was being called away to an urgent meeting, he looked back and said, "Ami, I'm sorry, but I have a meeting to go to now."  
  
"That's all right," she replied rather distractedly, barely looking at him. "Thank you for everything, Greg. I'll see you later then?"  
  
He nodded curtly and turned on his heel.  
  
Turning to the general, Ami pouted and asked, "I don't suppose you're going to let me get up, either?"  
  
Cheerily, he replied, "Not at all. He's right, you know. Besides, people will get worried if they see you around after being hurt."  
  
"They'll be worried if I'm NOT seen."  
  
"I'm sure your Prime Minister and council will take care of everything. If you're not sure," his smile was gently mocking, "I'm sure I can persuade the latter to come and talk to you and assuage your fears. What do you say?"  
  
Sitting back, the princess glared at him. "You play dirty."  
  
Hiding a satisfied grin, Zoicite took Greg's uncomfortable chair and sat down, crossing his legs. "I take it you're as stiff and full of pains as I am?"  
  
When she looked away, out the window, his grin appeared. "What was your first clue?"  
  
"Well, apparent moodiness, being short of temper, and the way you're holding yourself."  
  
Looking back at him, Ami sighed softly and released the tension from her body. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be...short-tempered. Here I am, snapping at you when I should be thanking you."  
  
"Think nothing of it," he gestured gallantly.  
  
Rolling her eyes towards the ceiling at his overdone motion, she turned serious as she remarked, "You never told me that you could heal as well."  
  
"I used to heal in my village. There were no other people that could treat illnesses, no doctors or anything. And ever since then....I haven't used it. It can't bring back dead people. I haven't even healed Endymion."  
  
Holding his eyes with hers, she whispered softly, "Thank you-Zoi."  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	8. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 8  
  
Ami sat before her elaborate mirror, brushing out her hair systematically. She was looking forward to resting, because her muscles were still sore and protesting over yesterday's events. Today, she had spent the entire day half-arguing and half-talking with Zoicite, who also carried her back to her room when the healers said that she could return to her own chambers. She had protested, feeling extremely embarrassed in her rather precarious position in his arms. Ami's hand paused for a minute in its activity, remembering the feeling it had given to her to be cradled so delicately, almost lovingly, by someone...she hadn't been held like that since her childhood, so long ago. But there were more feelings besides safety and serenity, feelings that she didn't want to deal with.  
  
Ever since the general had come from Earth, her life had changed. The princess was tired of change: she had lived a comfortable life until she was ten, when she was sent to the Moon. She had tried to adapt to life on the Moon and succeeded with the help of her four friends. But then her world had shattered again, first when her mother died, then her father. Ami had become the Princess of Mercury, and she had to rule alone. Her over-dominating council towered over her at times, doubting her fitness to rule, until she had been forced to remind them exactly who she was. Then she had to deal with Greg: kind, sweet, dependable Greg, who was hopelessly in love with her. There was nothing she could do about that. And so she lived with her daily problems, taking the good with the bad of her new life. And then HE came along and disrupted her third world.  
  
Charming, handsome, likeable, teasing, and insufferable General Zoicite was a contradiction in himself. It was strange how she balanced three positive traits with two bd characteristics. Form the beginning, she had known he was trouble-right? Of course, her instincts always led her in the right direction...and then slowly, slowly he had begun creeping into her life. Damn his craftiness and slyness and evilness!  
  
Of course, she wasn't really being fair, she scolded herself. But Zoicite would leave soon, like everyone else had left her. First her parents, then Leon, who had brought about this dratted visit in the first place. Even the other senshi and Serenity had left her when they had all departed from the Moon...this time would be no different. Sighing, Ami put down her brush and turned around as the door opened. "Hello, Kathrina. Did you have a nice day?"  
  
"Yes, indeed, Miss Ami. There was such talk around the palace today," the maid said, shutting the door. "All about that nice General Zoicite and about his saving you. You wouldn't believe how many of the young ladies admire him, for his looks and charm. All of them want to visit Earth and see the other young generals, to see if they're like General Zoicite."  
  
Feeling her mouth twitch undecidedly, as if it weren't sure whether to smile or frown, she replied mildly, "Is that so? How interesting."  
  
"And relations have improved with the Terran Embassy, my lady. The council is so much more willing to meet with certain demands. These Terrans aren't as bad as we really thought they were, aren't they?"  
  
`That's open to discussion,' the blue-haired one thought to herself. Smiling to herself, she commented automatically, "Are the talks tomorrow going as scheduled?"  
  
Kathrina nodded, straightening the bed covers and a few of Ami's most treasured possessions on the nightstand. "They've announced an early adjournment, though, in light of your injuries. Are you sure you feel all right, Miss Ami?"  
  
"I'm feeling fine. Don't worry." Turning to stare out the window, Ami exhaled deeply, her eyes catching the glow from the moon. "It's such a beautiful night, isn't it?"  
  
"Oh, it is, but Miss Ami, you shouldn't leave the windows open like that! You'll catch a cold!"  
  
After Kathrina had left for the night, Ami got up from her bed and opened the windows once more. She looked out into the cool night breeze, enjoying the peace and serenity. And serenity reminded her of her friends...she would have to get in touch with them tomorrow. Doubtless they had heard of her unfortunate incident...too bad she had been busy with Zoicite all day. Did his name always have to come up in her thoughts at the most inopportune times?! Sighing, she settled down for another restless night of troubled sleep. And it was all his fault. Him and his haunting, annoying, beautiful eyes.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The next morning, the blond-haired general had just been deep in contemplation, walking along the halls of the palace barely watching where he was going, when he was nearly run over by a blue-haired whirlwind. As both he and the princess landed on the ground, he sweatdropped and pulled himself up gingerly, cursing his fading but still painful bruises. "Good morning, your highness."  
  
Looking up at the offered hand into deep green eyes, Ami flushed darkly as she realized who she had run into. "Zoicite! I'm so sorry-"  
  
"Think nothing of it. It's one of my favorite activities to do in the very early morning, did you know? Being run over by beautiful princesses who also aren't watching where they're going?" he teased gently. "So where were you going?"  
  
"Well, the talks are canceled again-"  
  
"And I thought we came here to do business," Zoicite laughed. "But go on. I'll stop interrupting and adding inappropriate comments."  
  
Straightening her dress, which was a peaceful medium blue shade, the princess was almost floating with her happiness. "Yes, do so. My friends, the Inner Princesses, are coming to visit tomorrow. We're having an informal picnic tomorrow afternoon-do you think you could come? I want you to meet them informally first."  
  
As she looked up at him anxiously, the general smiled at her eagerness. He could almost see the adorable child she had been, full of life and vivre de joie. "Of course I will."  
  
"Wonderful! We'll meet in the garden tomorrow-the one in the labyrinth."  
  
"Your highness? A quick message from the Princess of Jupiter has just come in-she's about to leave."  
  
"Oh!" As Ami turned to leave, she looked back at the gen, who was still standing there. "Will I see you later, then?"  
  
"Of course, my lady. You can count on it."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Ami smiled brightly when the image of her brunette friend appeared on the screen. In the background, men and women in flight suits were running around, loading the ship and making sure that everything was working and on schedule. "Hey Ames! So how have you been? I heard about that accident in the mines. Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm all right, don't worry. Are you sure you can drive that airship by yourself, Lita?"  
  
"Of course. It's no problem. Besides, the flight crew won't leave me alone; the captain will be hovering behind me the entire time. And don't you remember the last time Haruka visited the Moon? She taught me how to drive hers, which is a lot bigger than the Thunder Giant here. So what's this about a charmer general that I hear who's visiting you from Earth?"  
  
"Oh...Zoicite's just one of Endymion's generals. He knew Leon very well, and he's a very nice man. I asked him to come and meet you all tomorrow afternoon."  
  
The brown-haired princess raised her eyebrows skeptically. "`A very nice man?' What happened to the whole men-avoidance thing you had going since you were eighteen? Oh darn...that captain's calling me now. It's time to take off. Otherwise, I won't make it on time to see this extraordinary general you've met."  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow, then. Have a safe trip," Ami smiled, relieved to be let off the hook. But Lita's words had invoked old memories that she wished she could be free of.  
  
"Sure. But don't forget, Ami, if he hurts you, we'll all hunt him down."  
  
"I don't think that'll be necessary."  
  
"Oh, but I could use the training-"  
  
"No," she said firmly, "and the crew's signaling you."  
  
"All right then. We'll have to continue our conversation later."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
"Sir? Commander?"  
  
"What is it, lieutenant?"  
  
"None of the communications officers on the Outer planets are responding."  
  
"Hm...let me take a look. Everything seems to be normal..."  
  
"But sir, usually only Pluto's stations are this silent. What if there was an emergency?!"  
  
"Still, it doesn't look very serious. This has happened once before, and everything still seems to be functional...oh! Look at this, a disturbance is passing through the airspace right now. Just some comets...I'm sure it'll be over soon."  
  
"Oh! Sorry I didn't think of checking that before calling you over, commander."  
  
"That's all right, lieutenant. Nice job of alerting us, though, in case something was really wrong. The comet is just passing by Jupiter now, I guess..."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Ami had had a very busy day, and almost everyone was asleep. The only people awake were the sentries that patrolled the hallways, but most of them were meeting with their commanders late this night. Mercury was a peaceful place, and riots or attempts on the princess's life rarely occurred. Nodding at one of the sentries, who saluted her in turn, she proceeded down yet another empty corridor. Suddenly, she smirked slightly as she spotted a certain blond-haired general turning around the corner...  
  
Zoicite shivered, feeling an icy wind blowing all around him. It was as if he were trying to walk through a snowstorm. Strange, the Mercurians, while adapted to living in the cold temperatures that reigned on their planet, had attempted to heat the palace for their guests' comfort. Rarely had he ever experienced such cold...  
  
"General Zoicite. Your lips seem to be turning blue," said a familiar voice from behind him.  
  
Turning around, he sighed in relief when the iciness stopped penetrating his bones. "Ami. Yes, well, Terran biology is a strange thing. Is this another habit of yours I should know about?"  
  
"Well," the princess said slyly, "I thought you needed a wake-up call, being asleep on your feet almost. You really didn't sense that I've been following you for three corridors already?"  
  
Groaning, the blond-haired man ran a distracted hand through his hair. "I hope to high heaven that Kunzite never hears about this."  
  
Smiling slightly, Ami replied, "Well, I can't make any promises...but if he's anything like Mina, I would have both sympathy and empathy for you."  
  
Looking blank, the general asked, "Mina?"  
  
Glancing away, ashamed at her slip of the tongue, the princess nodded. "For the senshi...Mina is the Princess of Venus, and she is also the planet's sailor senshi."  
  
"Just how many of you princesses are senshi, anyway?!"  
  
Doing her best to ignore his slightly rude phrasing, telling herself that it was the shock, Ami shrugged her slender shoulders gracefully. "Well...Rei of Mars...Lita of Jupiter...Hotaru of Saturn...Michiru of Neptune...Haruka of Uranus...and Setsuna of Pluto..."  
  
Trying to close his mouth, he managed to exclaim, "But-but that's all the planets...so all the princesses are senshi...except-except for-"  
  
"Except for Serenity. Yes." Looking around their surroundings cautiously, she was relieved to see no one else around, not even any stray sentries. "Of course, not that you know everything, I'll have to kill you."  
  
"What?!!"  
  
Dragging the protesting Zoicite into a niche, she covered his mouth, eyes darting around frantically to make sure that no one had heard. "You idiot...I was only jesting!" "Sorry," Zoicite mumbled into her hand rather unsuccessfully. His eyes widened as the sounds of footsteps echoed along the hall.  
  
Turning around in a full circle, Greg frowned. He could have sworn he heard a male voice a few minutes ago. "Hello? Is anyone here?" After a few minutes of complete silence, he sighed and turned. "Guess not...maybe it was my imagination."  
  
When he had gone around the corner, Ami yanked the general out into the clearing again. "Must you be so loud?  
  
"My apologies, my lady," the gen stammered, feeling mortified.  
  
"I'm sorry, Zoicite. I didn't mean to be so harsh, but it's very late at night, and the guards tend to take any disturbances very seriously. And if they saw me...you might have been in danger."  
  
Nodding, he said, "I understand. It's the same with us generals and Endymion."  
  
"And you especially, right?"  
  
Acknowledging her statement gravely, the general held out his arm. "It's getting late. You shouldn't be up so late."  
  
"And you should?" Taking the proffered arm delicately, Ami asked, "And may I inquire, what were you doing, skulking around here?"  
  
"Nothing...well...you first."  
  
"I? I was just going over some last minute plans for the picnic tomorrow. That's why I was so tired. I don't normally stay up this late," she smiled innocently, crossing her fingers behind her back angelically.  
  
Looking closely at her with sharp green eyes, Zoicite felt his heart melt at her disarming smile. "Well...if you say so. But I still don't believe you."  
  
"And they say generals are such gentlemen," the princess murmured demurely, casting her eyes down as her mouth curved up into a smile.  
  
"Oh, we are. Especially around beautiful princesses."  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Hmph," Greg scoffed to himself. `Beautiful princesses, my foot! He's flirting with her, and blatantly, too!! Shameless. Absolutely outrageous. And so conspicuously, too! In plain sight of everyone in the whole palace!' he rumbled angrily, ignoring the fact that no one was about. All right, so he wasn't supposed to be following his priceless, porcelain princess around-and that-that general, but it was for her own welfare. The next day, he promised himself, he would tell her all about Terran generals and how they wished to influence Mercury by making their princess fall in love with one of them. Of course, it wasn't exactly true, but soon enough the general would leave, and Ami would forget all about him. Right? Right...  
  
Looking ahead, the Prime Minister saw that he was falling behind the couple and hurried his footsteps, although he remained on guard to keep them silent. He had learned from one of the best-Ami. He felt a little guilty at spying on her in such a fashion, but it was for her own good. Imagine the scandal if one of the Inner Princesses fell in love with a nothing general of course! `But she would never fall for him...right? Of course not! She was more sense!' he consoled himself. And yet...the signs were plain. The whispers were beginning to start in the servants' wing already, about how much time their princess was spending with that charming Earth general who had saved her in the mines.... Then Greg looked at the persons ahead of him again, who had paused in front of the princess's chambers. Sighing with relief that she would be going to safely to bed and that he would leave her alone until tomorrow, his eyes widened to the size of saucers as he took in the scene before him,  
barely breathing in his shock and horror.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Ami, I think that this trip to Mercury was one of the best things that ever happened to me, even though it was for mourning. But we've been able to lay Leon to rest, and he deserved it after such a long time."  
  
"Yes, he did," she agreed softly as they paused outside her room, having come to their final destination. "And we've learned things about each other's planets, and you've accepted your healing again-haven't you?"  
  
Looking away, Zoicite didn't answer.  
  
Seizing his hands, she persisted, "Haven't you? Please, Zoicite. You have a gift, and gifts should be used for the better of the world."  
  
"If I had gotten to my family earlier...would I have been able to say them? It's a question I ask myself often."  
  
"You can't live forever like this, Zoi. You have to let the past go sometimes, or it will dampen the future."  
  
"Can't live with it, can't live without it." Sighing, the general nodded slowly. "All right. I'll try-but for you and no one else."  
  
Smiling warmly at him, she let go of his hands and drew them away slowly. "I guess I'll have to be satisfied with that then, my brave general. You won't forget about tomorrow, now, will you?"  
  
"Of course not." Feeling the strangest but loveliest of feelings come over him, Zoicite sighed quietly. She had called him Zoi-twice, but in the most important of times. "Thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Everything." He reached out with shaking hands to cup her face in them delicately...and then, as they were both lost in the feeling that had come over them, the general lowered his lips to hers gently. A few seconds of heaven later, the world shattered when she broke away from him.  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	9. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 9  
  
Zoicite gasped in surprise as Ami flung herself against the door, out of his arms. Opening the door, she escaped to the safety and confines of her room, and slammed the door shut after her. He felt his heart start to break when he heard her sobbing quietly, and he called, "Ami, please! I'm sorry!"  
  
"Go away, please," she cried, disregarding the heavy droplets of salty water that splashed onto the floor as she curled up on her bed, wishing the world and especially Zoicite would leave her alone. Softer, she pleaded, "Please, just leave me alone."  
  
About to walk away in despair, the general's shoulders suddenly straightened, and he stood proud and tall. Deliberately but quietly, he said, "Actually, you know what, Ami? I'm not sorry. I don't apologize for anything. Do you want to know why?" Disregarding the fact that he didn't receive an answer, nor had he expected one, he continued, "I don't care about any of these damn rules the world has. I don't care if I'm a lowly general-and if you do, princess, then it isn't my fault. I love you, Ami. And you have to learn someday that rules are meant to be broken." Walking away, he staggered in surprise and pain as a sharp right hook caught him directly in the jaw. Rubbing his face, Zoicite's triumphant but sad green eyes met dangerous, dark brown.  
  
"What did you think you were doing, General Zoicite?!" Greg hissed.  
  
"I was doing what I had to, commander. I told her the truth: I love her."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Waking up the next morning, the general raised a sardonic brow at his reflection in the mirror. Ah, a wonderful, purple spreading bruise on his face. That would be certain to raise uncomfortable questions and impress everyone. And today was the picnic with the Inner Princesses...and they were all sailor senshi too, he shuddered. Zoicite wondered, would he be walking to his doom if he went after all? But he was no coward...and he would do what he had to. If Ami couldn't accept the fact that a general could love a princess who was also a senshi...then she was not the woman that he thought she was.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Ami also looked in the mirror the next day, washing away dried tear stains with a washcloth and cold water. Her nimble, slender fingers shook slightly as she wrung out the cloth and hung it up to dry...and she visibly flinched when a loud knock came on the door.  
  
Kathrina, who had been watching her mistress perplexedly, inquired patiently, "Should I get the door, Miss Ami?"  
  
"Yes..." she trailed off when it banged open, having been left unlocked when the maid had come in this morning, apologizing for her absence the last night.  
  
Glowering darkly at her, Greg asked in stiff tones, "Miss Kathrina, would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?" Glancing at the princess, who nodded as she sunk into a chair, the maid quickly left the room. Locking the door after her, the Prime Minister felt slight satisfaction that Ami was not meeting his eyes. Good. So she knew it was wrong, at least. "You know, Ami, I was up late last night, and I heard some voices in the hallway. So I came out of my office...and guess which two people I saw in an intimate embrace?" When she looked away, he gripped her arm tightly. "Do you know what I saw, Ami?"  
  
"Yes," she whispered, tears making fresh trails down her cheeks, "yes, I do."  
  
As if he hadn't heard her, although he released her, Greg continued, "I saw a very unamusing site, your highness. Imagine-I saw what I thought was the Princess of Mercury, an untouchable virgin who should be kept that way until her eventual marriage, kissing a man. And not just any man-one lowly General Zoicite of Earth."  
  
Drawing her tortured gaze up to meet his, the blue-haired princess said, "Stop it, Greg. He-we didn't do anything like you're suggesting. He only kissed me, and I made him stop."  
  
"Oh, at least we had some sense," he exploded, "but you couldn't do anything beforehand, could you?" Calming himself and continuing in a deathly voice once more, the general commander remarked, "Strange. I thought that woman was you, Ami. But it couldn't have been, could it? I mean, if I saw her, and she didn't even notice, any other person could have been watching. The princess would never have been so careless or unheeding of the laws of her station. Am I right?"  
  
"Stop, please! All right, I admit to everything. I didn't stop him before, and I could have stopped it sooner than I did. And I was that woman in the hallway who was so careless of her station! Are you happy now?" This time, before he could say anything, Ami gathered her courage. "And do you know what? If I had to go through life again, I wouldn't have stopped it beforehand. Because I liked kissing him, and I liked him kissing me."  
  
The brown-haired man erupted passionately at this statement, so angry that they were both surprised that he wasn't boiling. "That's exactly what he wants you to think! Him and all of those Terrans that came! Didn't you know, Ami?"  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"I really shouldn't be telling you...no, no, I won't. It would only hurt you, and the Embassy's leaving soon anyway."  
  
Icily, she became princess and senshi once more, powerful and dominating. "Tell me now, Greg."  
  
"Well..." He shifted uneasily before continuing, "Earth could accomplish so much with better relations with us. They could have better repute in the Silver Alliance, and they would be more powerful. Imagine if they sent one of their most charming and handsome men, even though he's only a general, to charm the innocent and unmarried princess. And if she fell in love with him..."  
  
The power massing behind her suddenly fell away, and Ami felt like a small child again. A child who doesn't understand why they get hurt or why people would want to hurt them. Pressing her lips together to keep them from trembling, she asked in a shaky voice, "It's-it's not true, is it? He wouldn't do anything like that, would he?"  
  
Looking deeply sorrowful, the brown-haired man nodded. "I'm afraid so, Ami. I'm sorry."  
  
As she began to cry, silently, he took her in his arms and held her, rocking her, and she made no objections. All she wanted to do was be a child again, a carefree child without duties as a ruling princess, and a child to whom the only love that mattered was that of her parents.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
After a while, she pulled herself together and out of his arms. Wiping her eyes and dousing them with cold water once more, hoping that the swelling and redness of her eyes would go away, Ami said softly, "I should go now. Mina should be docking soon, then Rei, and then Lita." As he nodded in comprehension and left, she closed the door once more and locked it, preparing to change her eyes. Shrugging impassively, she finally chose a silky blue dress that exactly matched her eyes. It had thin spaghetti straps, and the rest of the dress flowed down her slim body like water. With one last glance around the room, the princess closed her door once more, locked it, and set off for the main port that they could come in. Resolutely she stood, feeling the Greg's and Zoicite's eyes on her alike, but she ignored them and waited patiently. While she waited, memories of another long wait came to Ami's mind.  
  
She had stood there for a while, grief for old Leon fresh in her mind, thinking about the funeral that morning and those of her parents'. And then everything had been swept out of her mind in one tumultuous whirlwind when Zoicite had stepped off the ship. She had met his eyes for the first time then, and they had never left her memory since.  
  
Snapping out of her recollections, Ami smiled brightly when Mina appeared from the ship, to the cheers and greetings of the Mercurians.  
  
Hugging her tightly, the golden-haired princess chirped, "Ami! I've missed you so much..."  
  
"So have I, Mina."  
  
Searching her eyes, cornflower meeting sapphire, Mina's mouth curved downwards when she saw the sadness in her friend's eyes. "What's wrong, love? Is everything okay?"  
  
"Not really, no, but I'll tell you all about it later." Smiling wanly, she suggested, "Why don't you go and rest a little? I know you don't like these trips through space much, and you won't need to make any formal appearances. If you can get up in the mid-afternoon, though, I was planning to have a picnic."  
  
"Good idea!" Mina replied, much enthused. As her brilliant eyes searched the crowd astutely, they came to rest on a certain blond-haired, green-eyed man. "Now, who is that over there?"  
  
Turning around to see who Mina was talking about, the blue-haired one flushed darkly. "You'll meet him later...at the picnic. That's General Zoicite, of Earth. He's here as an ambassador from Endymion."  
  
Nodding, the Venusian princess smirked a little as she felt the ties between them with the power of her planet. "He's very handsome, isn't he?"  
  
"Quite," Ami echoed faintly, blushing darkly. "Oh, look, Rei's here!"  
  
Raising her eyebrows, impressed, she said, "Either they broke all the speed laws in the universe, or they set out a lot earlier than I did. Rei!!"  
  
As they raven-haired princess came towards them, hair swirling darkly around her, Ami felt a certain peace descend upon her heart. Soon, all her friends would be with her. Together, they could do anything and everything, and they would try to help her as much as they could. "Rei, it's been too long."  
  
"Of course, but considering that half of my government consist of inept morons, what do you expect? It's hard to get away." Purple eyes twinkling merrily, Rei examined her friends carefully. "So, Mina, how many people here do you think you have charmed? We have to continue our bet, you know."  
  
Shrugging modestly, her friend replied, "I don't know, Rei...ten? Twenty?"  
  
"Actually," Ami corrected softly, "it's thirty-five."  
  
"I was pretty close."  
  
"Rei, why don't you and Mina go in now, to rest? You know where you're staying, right?"  
  
"Of course. By the way, we're meeting in your garden later, aren't we?"  
  
Nodding emphatically, the Mercurian princess answered, "At three. But shoo. I'll wait for Lita now."  
  
Before she left with Mina, Rei put one hand gently on her friend's arm. "Ami...your soul is disturbed. It isn't just because Leon passed away, is it?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"At least you're being honest," she smiled faintly. "Catch you later, then."  
  
"Mm hmm."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The minute she was in range, the brown-haired princess reached over and picked up her smaller friend, swinging her around energetically. "Hey there, girl!"  
  
"Lita! Put me down!"  
  
Laughing as she obliged, Lita caught her friend up in a warm hug. "Am I the last one here, again?"  
  
"Sorry, but yes."  
  
"Oh, darn. Next time I'll start out a day earlier and beat them all! Hm....is that the famous General Zoicite over there, staring at you?"  
  
Turning back too late, Ami flushed darkly. "You know, information seems to travel among you guys too fast. Did Mina tell you about everything, or did you tell her?"  
  
"I didn't tell her anything! And she didn't tell me anything either. We just had a feeling." When the other still remained skeptical, the brunette woman asked softly, "Now, would I lie to you about a thing like that?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. Nothing's changed, has it?"  
  
"Well, maybe a little. But nothing too important."  
  
"You'd be surprised at which trivial things can turn out to be very crucial..."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Later that day, Lita stopped at the end of the labyrinth to admire her work on the plants. She could already hear the others talking inside the garden, but she wanted to talk to the plants. They chimed happy greetings to her, and she petted them fondly. She loved happy greenery. Standing there for a moment, enjoying the feeling, she was surprised by an unfamiliar voice behind her.  
  
"Your highness, I would like to compliment you on your masterpiece."  
  
Whirling around, green met green until she broke the silence. "So you're General Zoicite. I guess Ami told you about the garden, then?"  
  
"I am," he said in surprise. "But I didn't know that you knew of me."  
  
"I didn't, " Lita smiled slightly, "but word travels fast around here."  
  
"Yes, it does," he agreed wryly.  
  
Liking his spirit, the brunette grinned widely. "Do you have magic with plants?"  
  
Nodding, he held open the door to the garden for her. "Among a few other things: crystals, healing. Mostly my powers are unrelated."  
  
Showing almost complete indifference to his finding the door so quickly, Lita curtsied to him and entered, as he had indicated. Conversation ceased when she entered, but an evil idea had crept into her head. Smiling at Ami, she purred, "Well, Ames, you didn't tell us all what a charming general was visiting you on the Moon. Zoicite here is a very nice and interesting person."  
  
Gulping as she ushered him in, feeling two impenetrable gazes upon him, he felt extremely ill-at-ease.  
  
Standing up, feeling as uncomfortable as Zoicite did, Ami cleared her throat slightly while Lita sat down on a nearby bench, smirking at Mina and Rei. "Ahem. Everyone...this is General Zoicite of Earth, one of the Four Shitenou. He is a courier from Endymion. (He winced at her impersonal tone and formal introduction.) General Zoicite, this is Princess Lita of Jupiter, whom you seem to have already met. Next is Princess Mina of Venus, then Princess Rei of Mars."  
  
"I'm pleased to meet all of your acquaintances." He was relieved when none of them commented upon the fading bruise along his jawbone.  
  
"Oh, likewise."  
  
"A pleasure," Rei said smoothly.  
  
"Ami's told us a lot about you," Mina smiled wickedly.  
  
"I hope it was good," he smiled weakly.  
  
Grinning at him, the raven-haired one decided to join in the fun of teasing her friend, who was blushing a delicate pink. "Oh, trust me, it was very high praise." At Ami's surprised cough, Rei relented-slightly. "So, about Earth, General Zoicite...are there many beautiful women down there?"  
  
"Uh...perhaps, but before I visited Mercury, I thought I hadn't seen or met a truly beautiful woman." He smiled in relief when they all beamed at him. Ah...safe...for now, he thought dismally when he saw Mina and Lita formulating their own questions.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Once the other princesses began leaving, Ami stayed behind, acting as the good hostess. She was dismayed to find that Zoicite was loitering around, waiting for the rest of the princesses to leave. When she was sure they had gone, she took a deep breath. Protocol or no, being a good hostess or no, she was not going to wait around. This was an embarrassing scene just waiting to happen! Turning to go, she heard a gentle voice behind her and stopped, feeling that her heart was a traitor.  
  
"Ami...please...would you wait? I'd like to talk to you."  
  
Glaring at him with a well-bred scowl, she said icily, "Do not be too presumptuous, General Zoicite. You may address me as `your highness' or `my lady.'" Once she met his intense emerald eyes, she felt her resolve falter. No...it couldn't falter...she had to leave. Tearing her gaze away, as she had done many times before, Ami said, "Don't try to trap me that way, General Zoicite. Excuse me, I'm afraid I have some things to attend to now." She left at a run, hoping against hope that he had not seen the shimmery droplets beginning to form at the corners of her eyes once more.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
"Well? What do you guys think?" Lita asked her two friends eagerly, bouncing excitedly in her chair.  
  
Rei merely smiled tolerantly. "I think he's a very nice man, and I think Ami may have finally met her match in intelligence and looks. They would make a very cute couple, don't you think?"  
  
The last woman nodded, blue eyes sparkling with interest. "I think they need a little push in the right direction, though. Did you notice that Ami nearly froze when Lita asked her wonderful starter question? And when she had to introduce him?"  
  
"From all the juicy gossip that I'm hearing, she's been spending almost every hour of the day with him!"  
  
"And don't forget, he saved her from dying when those mines collapsed!"  
  
`Mina the matchmaker strikes again,' the raven-haired one thought to herself, amused, a while later as Lita and Mina began their master plan. Suddenly, a new thought occurred to her, one that had been brushed aside by recent events. Slowly, Rei asked, "You guys...do you think that Ami's completely over, well, you-know-who and what yet?"  
  
The blonde sat in silence for a minute, deep in thought, as Lita also pondered the question. Gazing out the window, she pointed suddenly and exclaimed, "Look! There's Ami storming towards us...and she looks pretty mad."  
  
They all watched eagerly, crowding around the window. "Look, here's Zoicite now, trailing after her. Oh, he looks so sad!!"  
  
Sitting back down, Rei smoothed her skirts gracefully before she remarked, "I don't think Ami lets anything go. Besides, how can you forget something that hurts you that deeply?"  
  
"And to think that to this day, we don't even know the whole of it," Mina added softly, "I feel so bad to think that she can't tell us what happened in its entirety."  
  
"Come on, give her a break. Wouldn't you find it hard to talk about something like this?"  
  
"Yes...but...she has to give Zoicite a chance!" the Princess of Venus insisted.  
  
Turning towards her curiously, Lita asked, "Do you know something that we don't?"  
  
"Probably not...but...he loves her, and she loves him. And they have to let love take its course."  
  
Rei stared at the ceiling contemplatively for a few minutes. "You know...their relationship would be a rule-breaking one if Ami accepts him."  
  
"Rules, my dear, are nothing in the face of love." No one argued with the undisputed senshi of love.  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


	10. 

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken-Part 10  
  
It was early the next morning when Ami arose from her bed, having had a sleepless and much-disturbed night. As the sun had barely risen, the day young and misty with dew, she took a few minutes to admire the rosy-pink blush of the sky, with its glorious golden rays of sunlight just peeking over the horizon. No one would be up, not even General Zoicite, and she could have some peace and quiet. While the sky, she told herself wryly, would soon be lit in shades of indigo.  
  
Once she was attired in a cool white gown much like yesterday's blue dress, although it seemed as if she were among billowing, puffy clouds instead of melodic trickles of water, she walked her way dreamily through the labyrinth, her mind dwelling on past and recent events. It was so nice to have peace, for once, and her duties had been lightened ever since the Terran Embassy had been here. And because the Inner Princesses had also come, there were also no talks! What luck...what joy...  
  
Sighing quietly to herself, she seemed to float along as she entered her garden, securely closing the door behind her. She was safe here, with all her wards in place, and no one would be able to disturb her, not even the senshi.  
  
Ami let out a wistful little sigh and then closed her eyes, dreaming of a time where she could have peace and rest.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
The senshi were hovering outside the garden, out of patience. Debating whether or not a good blast with electricity would disarm the wards, the Jovian princess fumed, "How dare she close us out like this! Why won't she let us in?"  
  
"I don't think she knows we're trying to get in," Mina said soothingly, trying to placate her angry friend.  
  
"No, she knows perfectly well that we're out here. I know this type of ward. But if she wants to be left alone so much, shouldn't we just go?"  
  
"Oh...all right. Except..." Lita turned around suddenly and smirked at a suspicious bush nearby that was wobbling. It was rather large but not large enough to conceal a gray-uniformed general. "Well, the way is clear for you now, General Zoicite."  
  
Blushing as he emerged, he sweatdropped when he noted their reactions. "Uh....er...I can explain. Sort of."  
  
Sighing, Rei muttered, "Don't bother. We don't want to hear it. Good day, general."  
  
Blinking as they left him, Zoicite examined the guards to the door of the garden in a rather bemused manner. "But of course! My favorite type of logical trap..." A few seconds later, he had succeeded in unlocking the impossible gateway.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Expecting her friends when the door began to open, the Mercurian princess sighed and readied herself to talk to them. Who came through surprised her greatly, and she snapped at him in frustration, "Why can't you just leave me alone?! I'm tired of being polite. I will ask you once and for all-please. Go. Away. Now."  
  
"I can't."  
  
Feeling a surge of annoyance, the blue-haired princess glared at the general angrily. "Fine. I'll go."  
  
"No, don't."  
  
Exasperated, she asked, "Then what do you want me to do?"  
  
Looking down for a moment to gather his thoughts, Zoicite shrugged. "Can't you just listen to me? For a few minutes? Then you can go, and I won't bother you again. I promise."  
  
"Okay," she said, giving in, "you might as well sit down."  
  
"Why are you afraid of me?" he asked abruptly, startling both of them.  
  
Gazing into the distance, Ami felt old cares and hurts wash over her. "I'm not afraid of you. You're a good person, actually, much better than I am."  
  
"But-"  
  
Cutting of his protests, she continued dreamily, "I've sworn off marriage as long as I could. I'm already twenty-five, did you know?"  
  
This time she allowed him to talk. Zoicite said, "Twenty-five isn't all that old, you know. I'm twenty-six myself."  
  
"It's different for you. For one thing, you aren't a princess. Besides, you're a man. Men can marry at whatever age they want, especially when they're disgusting old lechers. But no, once a woman reaches twenty-five, she becomes a spinster that no one will look at. And you're doubly cursed if you're a princess. It's imminent that sometime soon, my council will make me marry someone, most likely the Prince of Uranus. I don't want to marry; I don't even want to fall in love."  
  
Shocked, the blond-haired gen shook his head. "But...don't all women want to fall in love with some handsome prince and get married? Isn't that every woman's dream?"  
  
Smiling a bitter, small smile, Ami shrugged. "Well...you have to keep in mind that I'm not the average woman. Neither are my friends. But Serenity and Lita want to be married, Rei just doesn't want to be ruled by a man, and Mina...Mina's searching for the perfect one."  
  
"So-so why don't you want to fall in love at all? Love is a wonderful feeling..." he trailed off when he noticed the pain in her deep blue eyes.  
  
"Yes," she whispered, "love is a feeling to be cherished beyond anything else...but love hurts too. It hurts more than anything in the world, more than having wounds cut open. And trust me, I've experienced that, too."  
  
Understanding suddenly, in a quick flash, Zoicite lowered sorrowful green eyes. Gently, softly, he asked, "Who hurt you?"  
  
"No one," she rasped harshly. "I hurt myself, because I was stupid and foolish. I didn't think that anyone in the world would be able to hurt anyone so cruelly, so I let him into my heart." As tears began to trickle down her cheeks, Ami wiped them away impatiently, then whispered, "But I never should have trusted in the first place. Never should have offered forth my heart, because I just got it broken out of my own asininity. I was brainless, silly...dense...bovine...inane, insipid, every single synonym for stupid you can think of."  
  
"No, you aren't!" he declared passionately. "Who was he? Who?"  
  
"I never-I never told anyone except the other senshi. But...his name was Rorick. He was a member of the Lunarian court...and he was, to put it plainly, a shameless womanizer. But I admired him from a distance, because I wished I could be as free and as adored as he was. One day, one of his friends had noticed my interest in him and bet Rorick a large amount of money and his family's sword that he wouldn't have the courage to make the Princess of Mercury, who had never loved a man, fall in love with him. Of course, I had no clue about this, but quite a few of the servants found out. He bribed them to keep them silent; he was rich enough. So, slowly, I began to fall in love with him when he took an interest in me. He told me...that I was pretty, that he had never met a woman like me. But he was only lying. He was lying about everything. My friends were happy for me-Rorick had always acted like the perfect gentleman around them and had even asked them to call him Rory. And then  
one night, Lita noticed her maid was very distraught about something. Letitia, she was called, suddenly burst out about the whole thing, sobbing and saying how she couldn't disobey her princess. But it was too late," Ami murmured, half of her lost in the memory. "I had already given myself to him that night."  
  
"You mean you-"  
  
"Yes," the blue-haired princess confirmed, "I did. The others don't know what happened. Lita told me the next morning, and suddenly everything fell into place. His strange habits, sometimes disappearing, the way his eyes shifted, and how his lies never seemed to fit. When I confronted him, he attacked me. He wanted to frighten me into telling lies for him. See, his friend had made another cruel wager-that Rorick had to become engaged to me and then break it off. And so...I killed him. It was such a strange feeling, of crushing sadness but immense triumph. I hated myself for doing it. Everyone knew what happened afterwards, even though the Queen and all the princesses tried to protect me. But no one knows that I'm not a virgin. Not even Greg. It's funny, isn't it? You would expect the shy little Princess of Mercury to be untouched by any man. Never even kissed. Well, they're wrong."  
  
Feeling his own heart shatter, as if dropped from a high height down to the hard flagstones, Zoicite's misery increased when he saw the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Please, Ami. Don't cry. I'm sorry you told me."  
  
"I'm not," she said deliberately, surprising him. "I'm not sorry. It's time someone knew the entire truth." Reaching out towards him, her slim fingers turned his chin towards her deftly. "Greg hit you, didn't he? He told me he saw us kissing."  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. Ami, please, you have to believe me. I would never hurt you in such a monstrous way."  
  
"I know you wouldn't." She smiled suddenly, casting a bright ray of light. "I trust you. It's strange, and I never admitted it before, but I do."  
  
Hardly believing in his daring, he blurted out, "I love you."  
  
Eyes darkening sadly, she stood to go. "I'm sorry, Zoicite, but it's just not possible. You have to understand what I ask of you. Please don't ever say those words to me again."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Mina frowned darkly as she scanned the horizon. Nudging the guard next to her abruptly, causing him to drop his binoculars, she turned his head towards the north and demanded harshly, "Tell me what you see."  
  
After one protesting squawk, the man looked in the direction she indicated. Gulping, he exclaimed, "A humongous black mass is coming towards us!!! It has to be the army of the Dark Kingdom and their witch, Metallia!!"  
  
Grimly, the princess muttered to herself, "Something has to be drawing them towards us...some great energy must have activated that demoness. But what?" Ignoring the sentries around her that were losing their heads, she pulled out her communicator and pressed three buttons. "Everyone, we have a very serious problem...yeah, yeah. I'm positive. You want to look out of your windows, to the north? Rei, make sure that this doesn't leak out to the entire palace. Everyone will go nuts. Lita, ready the shuttles. We have to leave. I'm going to contact the queen."  
  
"Mina, what should I do?"  
  
Smiling distractedly at her friend, feeling the anxieties press on her, the blonde said, "Go and tell Greg to ready the armies. I'm sorry we're all leaving you, Ames, but-"  
  
"I know what you have to do. You have duties to your people, just like me. Will you tell Serenity that I'm sorry?"  
  
"Of course." A few seconds later, she ordered, "Get me through to the queen, right away. No, I don't care what time it is. I want to speak to her NOW. Perhaps you don't know who I am. Tell her the Princess of Venus, also the senshi commander, says that it's an emergency. Good. My queen? A black disturbance has been reported coming through the Solar System. No, I wasn't aware that no communication was going through to the Outer planets. My queen, forgive us all. But we are staying with our people and our planets. If we fall, we fall first. Hopefully their power will be blunted by the time they reach the Moon. No, I won't want to talk to Serenity...just tell her that we're sorry we can't protect her and that we love her dearly. Yes, my queen. Good bye, and good luck." Turning back to the nervous soldiers around her, she snapped, "What are you waiting for? Go and find your superiors."  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
"Lita...Rei..."  
  
"It's okay, Ami. We'll go to the Moon now and help protect Serenity."  
  
Sighing as they hugged one another, Mina gazed at her two friends. She would be returning to Venus, and since Mars and Jupiter were already overtaken, Lita and Rei would report to the queen. This would probably be the last time they were all together, unless something miraculous happened.  
  
"Hurry," Ami ordered her friends, wiping away her tears. Tears were signs of weakness, and she had already cried enough over trivial things the past few days. "Go."  
  
"Stay safe."  
  
"Don't forget, Ami, give love a chance."  
  
"We love you."  
  
"And I all of you. Now go."  
  
A few moments later, she was walking away from the port once more, not bothering to stay to watch the two airships leave. A courier ran up to her, panting. "My lady! The Outer planets were overtaken, and everything is ravaged and destroyed! There are no survivors...and the Outer Senshi seem to have perished!!"  
  
Exhaling deeply, Ami nodded, feeling a great sadness in her heart for her friends and what would be coming to her people. "Summon General Zoicite and Commander Greg to me at once. Tell them I'll be at the spire." The spire was the very top of the palace, a very good look-out and thousands of miles above the ground. Nodding back, the messenger left to fetch them.  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
"Zoicite, I want you to leave here right away, with your men. They aren't Mercurian, and you aren't bound to protect my planet." Opening his mouth to protest, Ami quelled him with a serious look. "If you won't do this for me, do it for Endymion. Think of your men, Zoicite. Please."  
  
After a few moments of arguing, the general nodded, defeated. He had his men and prince to think of...and he was leaving his heart and his princess behind. "Ami, I-"  
  
"I know," she whispered. As he wrapped his arms around her, her lips met his for a moment of eternity until she shoved him away. "Hurry and go." Sighing as he left at a run, without looking back, the blue-haired woman leaned against the wall. Everyone had left her...and she must stand alone.  
  
"Ami."  
  
Without looking at him, knowing that he had seen everything, Ami asked, "Are the army and the navy ready?"  
  
"Of course. Even though we know it's a losing battle already, we'll fight to the end. It's our planet, our soil, and our princess that we're fighting for."  
  
Nodding, Ami took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "Greg...I'm-I'm sorry."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"I'm sorry...that we're all going to die. I'm sorry you have to die like this."  
  
"I'm not. I'm ready for my death, Ami. I loved no one in this life but you, and your heart is already promised to another. So it doesn't matter-I'll die defending you."  
  
"Greg!" Her anguished cry sounded in his ears, but he was already gone in quick, steady strides.  
  
It was time to do what he had been trained to do: protect her, protect the kingdom. But he had never anticipated the day when there would be something he couldn't protect her against. Smiling ironically to himself, he thought, `But there are two things, this cursed blackness...and the power of love.'  
  
~~~~*~~~~  
  
Ami stared across the darkness of her land, the shadow already beginning to eat away at the edges. She heard cries of pain, clashes of swords, and creatures and people massing everywhere. She never turned away, just watched silently, her heart crying the tears her eyes could no longer produce.  
  
Suddenly, Zoicite startled her, as he always had, placing his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. He had been standing there for a few minutes, watching her sadly. Instead of looking serene, as if she were a cloud-walker, she looked like a tired, beaten angel.  
  
Spinning around, she demanded, "What are you doing here? You were supposed to have left! I saw your airship leave!"  
  
"I did leave," he admitted, "but then I realized that the place I had just left was the place I should have stayed. I teleported back here."  
  
"You stubborn, bull-headed general!! Why can't you see that you don't belong here? You have nothing to hold you here!!"  
  
"I have two things to keep me here: honor and you. And stop protesting. It's my choice to make, not your's."  
  
Sighing deeply, knowing there was nothing she could do, the princess asked dejectedly, "What about Endymion? And your duty?"  
  
"He's on the Moon, anyway. He'll understand. So will Kunzite, Nephrite, and Jadeite-did your friends ever tell you that they fell in love with the other generals?"  
  
"They didn't!" she whispered, shocked. "But they never said anything..."  
  
"No," he agreed softly, "they never said anything."  
  
Shivering as the chill around them grew worse, Ami told him, "I can't do anything for my people. I can't find them. There are too many. And Metallia...she's too strong. I've already exhausted everything I have, hurling raw energy at her. I have no choice but to watch them die! And no can help me..." Finally turning to face him, she looked into his eyes, finding comfort and something she had never seen before: true love. "Why are you here?" she asked softly.  
  
As the darkness inched up the palace, he flinched, hearing the screams below them. "Because I want to be with you. So Ami," he said casually, as if they had all the time in the world, "there's something that I want to know-before we die."  
  
"What is it?" she asked resignedly. "I might as well answer if you put it that way. Besides-a princess can love a general now, because they'll die together. And we've broken all the rules I've ever known..."  
  
Holding her close to him as the darkness began to spread around them, slowly descending, he whispered in her ear, "Do you love me?"  
  
"Yes," she whispered, drawing closer into his embrace, "I do love you, Zoi."  
  
Zoicite smiled, a bittersweet smile. "I'm glad to finally hear it. And now I'll die happy. I love you, Ami." Lifting her chin up lightly, he looked into her eyes once more, making sure that she wasn't looking at the land next to them, just at him. Then, slowly, gently, their lips met and their souls touched as the darkness finally enclosed them.  
  
~~~~*~~~~ 


End file.
